Helen Frank was born to Mary Helen Frank and Thurman Reed Rigdon on September 2, 1913. She was raised by her mother and her grandparents. Her grandfather George Frank was an influential businessman in Ripley, Ohio. She grew up on Fourth Street in the shadow of St. Michael's Church, and perilously close to the flood-prone Ohio River.
At the very same time, across the street from Helen lived her lifelong best friend Bernice Schneider. The two of them grew up playing together, close as sisters, and even traveled the country together after graduating from high school.
When most people remember Helen, the first thing that springs to mind is her personality. Helen was a tremendously charismatic person. With both grace and humility she commanded attention, and towards the end of her life when indifference and indecision became the norm among people, Helen would gladly take a side or offer an opinion. Throughout her life she was active, involved, always fascinating, intelligent, optimistic, and also very strong.
Helen was a graduate of Ripley High School, as it was then known, and subsequently Ohio Dominican College, a rare accomplishment for a woman born in rural Ohio in 1913. Horses were one of Helen's many passions. She wrote for "National Horseman" magazine, and with her husband Bert showed and judged many horses. She loved to attend the harness races, and her fondness for Kentucky thoroughbreds extended to religiously following the UK Basketball Wildcats.
Helen met her husband Eldon H. Roush of Adams County, who is better known as Bert, right on Fourth Street where she grew up. By pure chance he brought information about a horse to her home and asked her to include it in the magazine. He would later recall that when he first saw her, he knew they would be married.
Helen was as comfortable working in and around the barn, as she was hob-knobbing at the country club. She loved people, horses, and dogs, but not necessarily in that order at all times. She also read widely and voraciously and was an authority on local history. Helen could easily recite the chronicles of Brown, Adams, and Mason counties. And as her DAR co-members and good neighbor Donald Hooper can attest, she also knew a fair amount about the American Revolution and the Civil War.
Helen had lots of common sense and an ability to overcome life's challenges. She didn't sweat the small things, and she always accentuated the positive. She was also very detail oriented.
Her razor sharp mind and small town sensibilities made her a meticulous record keeper. Rarely would she miss a birthday or any other important occasion in the lives of her many friends and acquaintances. She never forgot a face or a name. And as such, when you would talk to Helen you'd have little hope of being able to keep up with her in conversation.
Helen spent many years working in and around both the private and public sectors. She worked for many years at the Ripley Foundry and then became a familiar figure in the West Union Courthouse, serving as Director of Economic Development for Adams County.
Throughout her life Helen was always very generous and friendly. She had a quick wit and rarely kept her opinions a secret. With Helen it was easy to tell where you stood. She was a devoted Catholic and an active member of the parishes in Ripley and in West Union, and could be seen from time to time at St. Patrick's in Maysville, Kentucky.
Helen left behind no children or siblings, but she had plenty of family. Among the many blessed to be considered her "relatives," are the Gelter and the Mueller families.
Count your garden by the flowers, never by the leaves that fall.
Count your days by golden hours; don't remember clouds at all.
Count the nights by stars, not shadows. Count your life by smiles, not tears;
And with joy on every birthday, count your age by friends, not years.
-Anonymous
