Helen Vivian Doudiet passed away Tuesday afternoon at the Mabie Southside Skilled Nursing Facility at the age of 88. She was born in Sumner, Washington and came to Hollister at the age of two. She graduated from Hollister High School in 1936 and attended San Benito Jr. College for a year before moving to San Francisco to attend the St. Luke’s Hospital School of Nursing. She graduated in 1940 and earned her Registered Nursing license. The next year she married Theodore Doudiet, who also grew up in Hollister. They lived in San Francisco. When the last of their three children entered college in 1967, Helen once again put her R.N. license to use when she became a health education instructor for the California State Preschool Program. She spent the next ten years working with low income parents, making certain their children were properly immunized and that they had regularly scheduled health care. She also studied early childhood development and incorporated the important lessons about how children learn into her teaching.
When Helen and Ted both retired in 1978, they decided to move back to Hollister. Helen became a member of the San Benito County Visiting Nurses Association. She was very active as a volunteer at Hazel Hawkins Hospital. She became interested in helping the families of terminally ill patients and was one of the founders of Hospice in San Benito County. She was predeceased by a daughter, Janis Cristofani in 1984, and by Ted, last year, and is survived by children, James T. Doudiet, wife, Janet, of Savage, MN, and Thomas W. Doudiet, wife, Judy, of San Francisco. Also survived by four grandchildren, Ellen (David) Mundt of MN, Julianne (Mike) Seeger of MN, Adam Doudiet and Holly Doudiet both of San Francisco and three great grandchildren in MN.
Funeral services will be held Sunday afternoon at 4 P.M. in the chapel of the Grunnagle-Ament-Nelson Funeral Home, 870 San Benito St., Hollister. Visitation will be Saturday afternoon 5-7 P.M. and Sunday afternoon from 2 P.M. until the service. Private interment will be at the I.O.O.F. Cemetery. Contributions are preferred to Hazel Hawkins Hospital Foundation, c/o the mortuary chapel.
