Helen Cruit Lee

Published 3:47 pm Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Helen Cruit Lee of Mobile died Saturday, June 2, 2012 in Mobile, just 39 days before her 100th birthday.

She was born on July 9, 1912 to the late Ernest Neil and Ruby Meriwether Cruit of Butler Street in Escambia County. She attended Livingston University and taught school in Huxford. She and her husband, John Emmett Lee, a farmer and cattleman in Monroe County, operated a mercantile business, J.E. Lee Store in Uriah for about 30 years. After the death of her husband, she continued to operated the store along with the farm and pecan orchards in Escambia and Monroe Counties. She was an active member of the Uriah community and Uriah Baptist Church before moving to Mobile, in 1969. She was preceded in death by her husband, John Emmett Lee; brothers, Paul and Elmore Cruit, and Elmoreā€™s wife Louise Meador Cruit; one sister, Georgene Cruit Beasley; brother-in-law, Julian Allen; nephew, Michael Cruit, and niece, Donna Cruit.
She is survived by a sister, Annie Cruit Allen, of Pensacola, Fla.; a brother, Dr Robert Cruit (Delite), of Gadsden; a sister-in-law, Annie Catherine Brown Cruit of Cullman; a brother-in-law, Mel Beasley, of Mobile; and nieces and nephews she considered her own children, Sharron Beasley, Elmore Cruit, Debra Beasley (Bill) Reynolds, Judy Allen ( Don) Fuchs, Ron (Suzon) Cruit, John (Martha) Cruit, Jan Cruit Huddleston, and Ken (Kathy) Cruit.

The family loves and appreciates the women who provided care for Helen over the last six years: Mae Rocker, Earnestine English, Ann Vaughn, Phyllis Ellis, Helen Graham, Teresa Davis and Pat Reed.

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Funeral services will be held at Uriah Baptist Church on Thursday, June 14, at 11a.m. with the Rev. Jean Spikes, former pastor of Uriah Methodist Church officiating.

Visitation will begin one hour prior to the service. Burial will follow at the Uriah Cemetery with Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home directing. In Lieu of flowers memorials may be made to Uriah Baptist Church, P.O. Box 337, Uriah, Alabama, 36480 or to the charity of your choice.