Mother Helen Anthony Seiber was born on February 26, 1930, in Woodville, Mississippi. She was the firstborn child of Bessie Wells and Samuel McQuarter, Sr. As part of the second generation born free, Mother Helen was raised by her grandparents, Edward (“Ed”) and Ella Wells, who were formerly enslaved. Under their guidance, she developed a strong work ethic and became a true “jack of all trades.”

In her adult years, Mother Helen was a farmer and homemaker who used her many skills to provide a better life for her family. She built hen houses and fences, raised animals, and even added a room onto one of their homes using only a hammer, axe, and saw. She was an exceptional cook and food preserver, canning meats—including whole chickens—for the winter months. These skills also supported her entrepreneurial spirit. With precision and care, she could divide a single chicken to feed a family of ten, sell produce from her garden, and make peanut candy to earn extra income.

One Christmas, Mother Helen famously baked twenty-six cakes using just the oven of a wood-burning stove and preserved them well into the New Year for her family’s enjoyment. After the early death of her grandmother, her grandfather Ed and her Aunt Olivia continued raising her. Grandpa Ed and Aunt Olivia taught Mother Helen how to sew by hand and make her own patterns. Using these skills, Mother Helen made clothing and her own patterns, quilts, and book sacks for her children. Later in life, Mother Helen often reflected that she wished she had paid even closer attention to Aunt Olivia’s lessons. Aunt Olivia would say she was “going fishing,” a phrase Mother Helen later understood meant going to be with Jesus. Aunt Olivia passed away at a young age.

At the age of ten, Mother Helen accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior and received the indwelling of The Holy Spirit at the mourner’s bench—a sacred practice during which candidates spent days or weeks seeking the Lord before presenting their testimonies to the congregation. Mother Helen testified that while wearing a “cute polka-dot dress”, she felt the burning fire of the Holy Spirit throughout her body and ran to proclaim that she was saved. On August 25, 1940, she was baptized by Rev. Eli Wilson and became a member of Chapel Baptist Church in Woodville, Mississippi. Mother Helen loved to sing and frequently sang solos as well as sang in the choir during her membership.

After relocating to Saint Louis, Missouri, Mother Helen joined Second Baptist Church under the leadership of Rev. Dr. Earl Miller and served on the usher board. She later transferred her membership to Devotional Baptist Church under Rev. Dr. Earbie Bledsoe, Sr., where she faithfully served in the choir and on the Mother’s Board. A devoted servant and gifted leader, Mother Helen later became President of the Mother’s Board. Her dedication was evident through numerous fundraisers and church programs, including her most well-known program, 100 Women in White, as well as Footprints in the Sand, Twelve Gates to the City, and Family and Friends Day.

Mother Helen consistently taught her children about Jesus, stressing the importance of knowing God for themselves and putting Him first in their lives. She often quoted Matthew 7:7-8: Ask…Seek…Knock.

Mother Helen was deeply affectionate and, before COVID, greeted everyone with hugs and kisses. She was also a generous giver and instilled the value of sharing in her children. During one lesson, she had four of her children to divide a single blackberry among themselves. She always shared, even in scarcity. Visitors never left her home empty-handed.

One of Mother Helen’s prayers was to live to see her children grown, a prayer she joyfully acknowledged as answered with each new generation. As her family grew larger, she became affectionately known as “Big Momma.” Mother Helen welcomed four generations into her family and proudly held each, saying, “This came from me!”

Mother Helen married Roosevelt Anthony, Sr., and together they raised ten children: Roselle, Roosevelt Jr., Elouise, Daisy, Frank, Rosa, Lula, Leo, Clarence, Sr., and Carl, Sr. She later married William Seiber, Sr., and gained bonus children: William Jr., Eliza Marie, Roger, Deloris, and William Brown.

As the firstborn, Mother Helen was part of a large and loving family and had many siblings. Her mother, Bessie, later married Marshall Smith, Sr., and together they raised: Clara, Annie Ruth, Lindberg, James, Prince Ella, George, Napoleon, Marshall, Jr., and Willie.

Her father, Samuel, Sr., married Minnie, and from this union Rose Mae, Fannie, Millie, Samuel, Jr., Arthur, Berniece, William, and Rev. Dr. Lilton, Sr., were raised.

Despite having only, a sixth-grade education, Mother Helen thrived and succeeded. She assisted her husband with bookkeeping and tax preparation, worked two jobs to save for her first home in Saint Louis, and continued her entrepreneurial pursuits by selling Avon and Watkins products.

A strong advocate for education, Mother Helen not only preached its importance but modeled perseverance. After completing a home study course, she earned a Practical Nursing certificate from The Lincoln School of Practical Nursing in Los Angeles, California, on December 16, 1969. When Missouri did not recognize the certification, she remained undeterred and became a Certified Nurse’s Aide through Mother of Good Counsel Nursing Home, where she worked faithfully for eighteen years.

Following her retirement, Mother Helen became the caregiver for her second husband, William Seiber, Sr., impressing physicians with the quality of care she provided. Later, she lovingly cared for her son Frank and eventually her daughter Elouise.

As the years passed, Mother Helen shared wisdom for living a long life, often quoting Proverbs 3:5:

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding and dropping nuggets about the importance of taking care of yourself.

She would often quote several passages from 1 Corinthians 13: Reminding her family that they could do nothing without LOVE.

Mother Helen’s mind remained sharp until the end of her life, even though she often joked about her age. She would quote one of her favorite t-shirts saying, “at my age, I’ve seen it all, heard it all, done it all, I just can’t remember it all.” When she needed assistance, she assigned each child specific responsibilities for her care. She even kept a visible list of family rules for everyone to see. They all reflected her values: help one another, tell the truth, share, do your best, laugh often, show compassion, be grateful, respect one another, keep your promises, use kind words, and always say “I love you.”

After many hugs and kisses, Mother Helen transitioned from this life to be with the Lord Jesus on January 22, 2026, at 4:00 a.m. Our beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, great-great grandmother, aunt, sister, cousin and friend is survived by four generations. Her legacy lives on through “The Helenites “and they consist of all those lives that she has touch, heads she has molded, noses she has shaped and legs she has straightened. Her children: Daisy Seiber, Rosa (George) Seiber, Lula Hughes, Leo (Willie Mae) Anthony, Clarence (Gina) Anthony, Sr., Carl Anthony, Sr., all of Saint Louis, Missouri; William Seiber, Jr. of California, Eliza Marie (Don) Scrubbs of Houston, Texas, Roger (Cherri) Seiber of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Wiliam Brown of Woodville, Mississippi; one God daughter Romyria Heidelberg of Cahokia, Illinois; her siblings Lindberg (True Love) Smith, Napoleon (Cassandra) Smith, Marshall Smith, Jr. all of Chicago, Illinois, Prince Ella (Lavander) McGee of Baltimore, Maryland, Willie (Gertie) Williams of Detroit, Michigan, and Rev. Dr. Lilton McQuarter, Sr. of Avondale, Louisiana, her sisters-in-law Dorothy McQuarter of Woodville, Mississippi and Mary Smith of Chicago, Illinois, Dora (Alphonso) Byrd of Saint Louis, Missouri, Marie Seiber of Woodville, Mississippi, and her brothers-in-law Howard McCollum, Sr. of Columbus, Mississippi and Louis Seiber of Woodville, Mississippi, Mose (Shirley) Seiber of Saint Louis, Missouri, Wilbert Shankling of Baton Rouge, Louisiana; as well as twenty-three grandchildren, forty-seven great-grandchildren, thirty-one great-great-grandchildren, and a slew of bonus grands, bonus great grands, and bonus great-great grands as well as nieces, nephews, cousins, Devotional Church family, neighbors, other relatives, and friends.

She was preceded in death by her husband William Seiber, Sr.; her parents Bessie and Marshall Smith, Sr. and Samuel and Minnie McQuarter, Sr.; her children Roselle (John) Lands, Roosevelt (Shirley) Anthony, Jr., Elouise (Humphrey) James, Frank (Irma) Anthony and Deloris Seiber; her sons-in-law Leon Seiber, and Richard Hughes; her siblings Clara Franklin, Annie Ruth Hayse, James (Minnie) Smith, George Smith, Mildred Bradford (a cousin but raised as a sister), Rose Mae McQuarter, Fannie McQuarter, Millie (Howard) Bell, Samuel McQuarter, Jr., Arthur McQuarter, Berniece McCollum, William (Audrey) McQuarter Grover; her sisters-in-law Dorothy Seiber, Adline Shankling, Rosa Mae Rowan and Elizabeth McQuarter; her brothers-in-law Charles (Georgia Mae) Seiber and Henry Seiber. Three grandchildren Loretta Neal, Kevin Anthony, and Christopher Anthony and one great-grandchild, Eric Seiber.

Mrs. Helen Anthony Seiber will truly be missed. She believed in giving people their flowers while they could still smell them, and for 95 years she gave generously, held hands, while making eye contact, hugs, kisses, wisdom, love, gratitude, and grace.