Helen Rose Higginson Jeppson passed away on September 3rd, 2026 due to causes of age. She was 101 years and 6 months old when she returned to her home in Heaven. . Helen is at peace now, reunited with her family in the Spirit World. She was born on February 25, 1925 in her paternal grandmother’s home in Logan, Utah to W.S and Sarah Ella Oakey Higginson. She had two younger siblings, Joan Higginson Masterson and Charles Oakey Higginson. Her father worked for the US Geological Survey and the family moved often, all over the southern and western United States. By the time Helen was five years old and ready to start school she could already read well. A teacher asked her to read out loud and Helen could read the word “spectacles” and she was immediately moved from kindergarten to the first grade.

She began attending George Washington University when she was 16 years old and graduated In 1946. She went to night school and worked for the National Bureau of Standards to help the war effort (WWII). She met Shirley Melvin “Jep“ Jeppson at a church dance when he offered to make a donation to the building fund if he could be introduced to the prettiest girl in the branch. He was introduced to Helen and they were married in the Salt Lake Temple by Ezra Taft Benson on June 23,1948. They lived in the Arlington, Virginia ward until 1949 while her husband worked for the State Department until he was transferred to the Passport Office in Boston Massachusetts. Three daughters (Sheryl Ann, Marilee and Carole Sue) were born to them during the five years they lived in the Cambridge Branch and helped build the chapel there. In January 1956 Jep was transferred to San Francisco, California to head the Passport Office covering the Western Region for the United States. Here, three more children, David Bruce,Douglas Charles and Laurelyn were born.

Helen and her family were all very active in the Daly City Ward. Helen served in the Primary and Relief Society and Young Women organizations and participated in the “Singing Mothers.” For years she drove many children to Primary whose parents were not active in the church. She was a skilled pianist and accompanied many soloists and choirs and played the organ for Sacrament Meeting and later in life in the Provo Temple. She was a devoted mother and helped all her children learn to play the piano, helped with their homework (especially math and chemistry and French) and she liked to read all the books they brought home from the library. Her children grew up feeling loved and valued. When Jep retired they served a Church Employment Service Mission in the San Francisco Stake.

Jep and Helen moved to Provo, Utah in 1989 and built their home in Oak Hills. They loved hiking up Rock Canyon, attending events at BYU, and volunteering at the Visitor’s Center at Timpanogos Cave National Monument. Helen played the organ for the Oak Hills 5th and 9th ward and the piano for Relief Society until she was 90 years old. She served as an Ordinance Worker in the Provo Temple for 10 years and also played the organ in the temple. In 2008 at age 80 she began serving a mission in Nauvoo, Illinois. She loved being a guide at the historic sites and playing the glochenspiel on a horse drawn wagon with a traveling band of “young performance” missionaries that came to Nauvoo in the summer. Her mission helped her recover from the death of Jep in 2005 from Parkinson’s disease.

Helen liked fun and adventure. She enjoyed working in the YMYW program and wanted to joinin all the activities. At age 97 her daughter and son in law (Sue and Alan) took her snow tubing down the hills in Rock Canyon Park and she was excited to go. When she got to the bottom of the hill she asked, ”Is that it??”

She is survived by her six children: Sherry, (husband, Steve) Holt, Marilee, husband (Sterling) VanWagenen, Sue, husband (Alan) Wynn, David, wife (Patti) Jeppson, Doug, wife (Rain) Jeppson and Laurelyn, husband (Terry) Briggs and 26 grandchildren (3 deceased), 46 great grandchildren (one deceased) and 12 great-great grandchildren.

The family wishes to thank CNS hospice care and especially Esther for her skilled help assisting Helen.

A viewing will be held at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 2020 North1500 East in Provo, on Saturday, September 19th at 10:00 with a funeral service at 11:30.

Interment will be at the City Cemetery in Brigham City, UT