Helen Durfey, 95, of Highmore, passed away Tuesday, August 31, 2021, at Highmore Health.

Funeral service will be 3:00 p.m., Friday, September 3, 2021, at the Church of Christ, Highmore.  Burial will follow at the Highmore Cemetery.  A visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the church.

Helen Lucille Davis was born on a farm in Logan, Oklahoma.  She was one of six children born to John and Vera Davis.  On that farm, she learned to milk cows at the age of six.  She liked to gather them from the pasture regardless of how far away they were.  Her dad made her a special stool for milking cows.

Helen taught herself to tap dance when she was four years old.

Her brother, Junior, was always teasing her and one time he hid her doll, Joanne, up on the windmill.  When she finally found it, she said, “My lands, Joanne, what are you doing on the windmill?”

Helen often played with her doll under the table while her mom was cooking, and her dad was playing banjo, guitar, or harmonica.  She later learned to play piano and together with her dad would play songs including John’s Tune, a song her dad wrote.

She attended Plainview Country School near Booker, TX and graduated from Darrouzett, TX high school in 1943.

She met her future husband, Roy Nelson Durfey, at a square dance and dated a few times before he was drafted into the Army.  While in the service, “Nelson” sent her a diamond ring and they were married on November 4, 1945, a few days after he returned home from World War II.

They settled in Oklahoma and had two children, Sharon and Roy Dee.  In 1949, they followed the wheat harvest to South Dakota and later moved to a farm outside of Highmore.  During the winter of, in 1951, their home and car burned to the ground, and they lost everything.  Later, before their daughter, Debra, was born, they moved to a farm on the Crow Creek Indian Reservation near Stephan with no electricity, running water, or plumbing.  Water was drawn from the well and hauled to the house.  Sometimes skunks would be found in the outhouse.

On the farm, they raised cattle, pigs, and chickens.  She became skilled at killing rattlesnakes, that were quite often found around the farm.  She milked cows, separated the milk, made butter and cottage cheese, and used the cream for cinnamon rolls.  The cinnamon rolls were packed in the children’s lunches as they mounted their horses and rode off to the Stephan country school.  The rolls were bartered for goodies from the other kids’ lunches.

She had a large garden and canned enough food including meat to last through the winter.

They moved to Highmore in 1961, where she was as homemaker, babysat her grandchildren, and worked for five years at the Highmore School lunchroom.

Helen was an active member of the Church of Christ in Highmore where she also taught Sunday School for many years.  She was actively involved in the Highmore Senior Center and served as an officer for several years.  She also belonged to the Highmore Health Care Auxiliary and received various awards for volunteer work.

Her hobbies included playing the piano, sewing, crocheting, gardening, watching birds, canning and baking.  Her grandchildren loved her dill pickles and raised doughnuts.

Helen is survived by three children: Sharon (Harlan) Smith of Harrold, SD, Roy Dee Durfey of Savannah, MO, and Debra (Larmount) Lawson of Bowie, MD; special friend, Carroll Morford of Highmore; seven grandchildren; three step grandchildren; nine great grandchildren; twelve great step grandchildren; and one great great step grandchild; brother, Milfred (Arabelle) Davis of Amarillo, TX, and numerous nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Roy Durfey; son-in-law, Neil Larson; granddaughter-in-law, Jane Larson; five great grandchildren; her parents; two sisters and two brothers and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

Luze Funeral Home of Highmore has been entrusted with Helen’s arrangements.

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