Obituary of Helen Ruth Rackstraw

Helen Ruth Rackstraw, 75, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by family on August 17, 2023. She was born on January 8, 1948, in Pitcher, Oklahoma and was the daughter of William and Wilma Busick, and sister to Billy Wayne and Jesse Busick.

During her early life Helen moved all around the United States because her father was in construction and coal mining but eventually settled in Greenville, Kentucky where she called home.  In 1963 she and her family moved from Greenville, Kentucky to Clewiston, Florida.  When she moved to Clewiston she was a sophomore in high school and fell in love with her high school sweetheart and love of her life, Gaynam R. Rackstraw (GR).  In 1966 she and GR graduated high school and she moved back to Greenville.  Shortly after, GR enlisted in the Army and they married in Madisonville, Kentucky on June 15, 1968.  They then had three beautiful children together, Gaynam B., Anesa and Amy.

From 1979 to 2000 Helen worked by her husband’s side at the family business Rackstraw’s Auto Electric.  She then moved on to work for another 18 years at Maxis Screen Printing but being a mother and loving grandmother (NeNe) was the best and most important job to her.  She loved to craft, cook/bake, decorate, and spend time with family and loved ones. She was also an active member of St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Clewiston and loved Christ.

Helen is survived by her husband Gaynam R. Rackstraw, son Gaynam B. Rackstraw (wife Alexis), daughter Amy Swindle (husband Michael), as well as her six beloved grandchildren Jacob Muniz, Conner and Myles Swindle, Mackenzie Bradley, and Riley and Avery Rackstraw.  She is also leaving behind sister-in-laws Brenda Busick and Rhonda Davis, brother-in-law Jack Davis, as well as several incredible and loving nieces, nephews and friends.  She is preceded in death by her mother and father, her brothers (Billy Wayne and Jesse Busick), and her daughter Anesa Rackstraw. All of these she loved and touched deeply.  She will be deeply missed.

A wife, a mother, a NeNe too,

This is the legacy we have from you.

You taught us love and how to fight,

You gave us strength, you gave us might.

A stronger person would be hard to find,

And in your heart, you were always kind.

You fought for us all in one way or another,

Not just as a wife, not just as a mother.

For all of us you gave your best,

Now the time has come for you to rest.

So go in peace, you’ve earned your sleep,

Your love in our hearts, we’ll eternally keep.

Please join us celebrating Helen’s life on Tuesday, August 22, 2023, at Akin-Davis Funeral Home in Clewiston, Florida. Visitation for friends and family will start at 9am and service will begin at 10am.