Helen Stutts Corley

Born on October 31, 1935 in Union, South Carolina
Departed on May 30th, 2021, in Melbourne, Florida

Helen Stutts Corley “Mim” passed away peacefully at her daughter’s home on Sunday, May 30, 2021 at the age of 85. She was surrounded by her loving family listening to the stories she had shared with us throughout her lifetime.

Helen is survived by her loving husband of 67 years, Bobby Corley; siblings, Jane Stutts Armstrong and Barry Stutts both of South Carolina; children Candy Koshinski (David), Kevin Corley (Patti), Russell Corley, and Kristi Sexton (Dave); Seven grandchildren: Corey, Cassie, Colt, Maegan, Ben, Tyler, and Kate; and four great-grandchildren: Maddie, Makayla, Cheyenne, and Emma. She is preceded in death by her parents; brothers, Herbert Stutts; Johnny Stutts; Roy Stutts, Lewis Stutts; Robert Stutts; sisters, Sarah Stutts Neel; Louise Stutts Berry; and Peggy Stutts Rutherford.

Helen was born on Halloween night 1935 in Union, SC to John McKinley Stutts and Janie Brandon Stutts. She was the 9th of eleven siblings- six boys and 5 girls who all claimed that she fell off the witches broom and landed on their doorstep on that spooky night. However, birth date had no factor in determining who Helen really was. She graduated from Newberry High School in 1954 where she excelled in basketball and cheerleading (where she cheered on her future husband!). She was also crowned a Newberry High School Beauty in three out of her four high school years.

On July 3rd, 1954 in Fountain Inn SC, she married her high school football star after his return from his time in the Air Force during the Korean war and together they started a life in Melbourne, FL where they would remain for the rest of her life. Helen soon began working as a Data Requirements Analyst at RCA in 1956 where she witnessed the birth of the space program all the way through the shuttle program before retiring from CSR in 2000. At that age she began her next and most memorable job to date; being a loving, devoted, and sometimes sass-throwing “Mim”, which was a special name that most people loved her by.

Even before she retired, she was most known for being the life and soul of her family, which doesn’t come close to describing her. Everywhere she went, people would gravitate to her and instantly fall in love with the warmth and compassion that radiated through every fiber of her being from family, friends, and people at the local restaurants. She had the ability to mend any broken heart with a hug, a carrot cake, and a sip of sweet tea.

Throughout her life, the thing she most enjoyed was sitting with her family and loved ones, sharing stories of days past with some good homemade food, which is exactly what she did up until the night before she passed. When she would take a break from being the life of the party, her laugh was known to radiate around the room, which would cause everyone else to join her. She was also known to turn a few heads with her infamous “camel walk” dance, which no one else has been able to master since.

Her time as a woman of faith, loving mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother will be the most cherished. She was a permanent fixture at baseball fields, dirt tracks, competitions, gun ranges, chorus concerts, football games, marching band shows, hockey rinks, recitals, graduations, birthday parties….the list goes on and on. Everyone who came in contact with her fell in love with her joyful soul. However, she also wasn’t afraid to “tell it like it is”, which usually meant that someone was going to get some very qualified advice.

Helen made sure to pass along valuable life lessons to those that live on: always be good, forgive, love with an open heart, share your stories, and know that a swig of sweet tea always makes things better.

Her service will be private for her family.

“Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”- 1Thessalonians 5:18