Helen Orton McKown Vera

Helen Orton McKown Vera was born on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1929, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, to Dave and Florence McKown. She passed away on March 12, 2026.

Raised in a Christian home as the only girl among brothers, Helen was active at Wesley United Methodist Church and deeply involved in Camp Fire Girls. She remained engaged with the organization through high school and organized new groups each year during college. Her lifelong passion for summer camp led her to attend and later work at Camp Cimarron in Oklahoma, Camp Namanu in Oregon, Camp Adahi in Pennsylvania, and Camp Kiwanis in Massachusetts. She lovingly shared this joy with her three children.

Helen graduated from Classen High School in Oklahoma City in 1947. After her freshman year at Grinnell College, she earned a Bachelor of Education from the University of Oklahoma in 1951. She taught fourth, fifth, and sixth grades in Oklahoma City and Portland, Oregon, while staying close to her Wesley and Classen friends and her original Camp Fire group.

Over Memorial Day weekend in 1959, Helen met Hindrik “Henk” Vera, a Dutch engineer working in Oklahoma City for B.S. & B. Oil Company. When Henk returned to the Netherlands, Helen traveled to Holland to explore whether their brief meeting could lead to marriage. It did. They were married on December 30, 1959, in his hometown of Groningen, Netherlands.

Helen and Henk lived in The Hague, Netherlands; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Pampa, Texas; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Kingston-upon-Thames, England; and back to Tulsa before moving to Lubbock, Texas, in 2018. She devoted herself to being a loving mother and a warm hostess, opening her home to Henk’s business associates, her children’s friends, and many others. Her bulletin board served as both a welcome list and a prayer list. Many of her children’s friends regarded her as a second mother. She volunteered at the local hospital, served with CASA, taught parenting classes, and counseled numerous people throughout her life. Even in her final weeks, she offered advice and encouragement to those caring for her.

Her children cherished memories of days spent swimming, picnicking, wading in creeks, and playing in fountains around Tulsa and Oklahoma City. Helen delighted in time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, traveling to visit them, playing games, reading books for hours, and teaching many to knit.

In her final years at Raider Ranch in Lubbock, she remained active in the gym and walking club, served as a Welcome Ambassador, participated in the Low Vision group, and hosted a weekly Bible study in her apartment. At Indiana Avenue Baptist Church, she was a Mom to Mom mentor and a beloved member of the Agape Sunday School class.

Helen is survived by her daughter Florence Ann and husband Mark McVay of Lubbock, Texas; granddaughters Stephanie and husband Josh Jones of Tyler, Texas, and Lauren and husband Brandon Sweeney and great-grandsons Caleb and Titus of Gilbert, Arizona; her son John Vera and wife Sheri of Norman, Oklahoma; grandson James of Norman and granddaughter Jennifer of West Lafayette, Indiana; her daughter Martha and husband David Hightower, along with grandsons Paul and wife McKenna, Michael, Johnathan and wife Selah, and Nathan, all of Boise, Idaho; and her brother Robert McKown and wife Doris of Oklahoma City.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Henk Vera; her parents, David and Florence McKown; and her brothers Ross, George, and Richard McKown.