Helen Dobkins was born March 7, 1916, in Moore County, North Carolina to Orlando M. and Rachel Ann Mosher Palmer. She married her life-long love, Marvin Dobkins on Leap Year, February 29, 1936 at Argo, MO. She never tired of telling folks she only had four wedding anniversaries when she had been married sixteen years and had children already. She left on her long-awaited journey to be with her Lord and her Marvin at age 94 on January 11, 2011. She and Marvin lived their lives in Crawford County and were the parents of six children: Margaret, Patricia, Ernest Winfield, Elizabeth, Carol and Marvin Jr. She was preceded in death by her precious Marvin and their older daughter Margaret Eshbaugh and stillborn son, Marvin Jr. She was a child of a large family and was also preceded in death by her parents and brothers and sisters: Standish Palmer and wife Elma, Earl Palmer and wives Thelma and Anna, Leslie Palmer and wife Evelyn, Mavis Bates and husband Roscoe, Fred Palmer and wives Elmira and Kay, Juanita Dorf and husband Melvin, Lynn Palmer, Marvin Palmer who died in WWII, and a stillborn brother John Palmer; brothers and sisters-in-law, Ted and Lula Dobkins, Art and Leyla Dobkins, Pansy Dobkins, Opal Dobkins and Charles Winfield Dobkins; her parents-in-law, Rev. Will Dobkins and wife Ora. Helen is survived by her children, Patricia FitzGerald and husband Bert of NY, Ernest W. Dobkins and wife Esperanza of OR, Beth Garrison and husband Richard of WY, Carol Keith and husband Del of TN; a brother, Glen Palmer and wife Nona of AR; sixteen grandchildren, thirty-two great-grandchildren, and nine great-great-grandchildren; nieces, nephews and her many friends. She worked many years for the Crawford Mirror, Steelville's newspaper, and retired from there. Her friends and acquaintances will remember her as being happiest when accompanied by Marvin out into the back roads searching out the best mushrooms, wild berries, herbs for medicines and cooking and wonderful old bits of wood and stone for the handcrafts they created. Her children will remember her as a wonderful mother; the best cook in the world; and half of the "glue" that held us together as a family and always made us so proud to announce our identity as children of Marvin and Helen Dobkins. Visitation was from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 16, 2011 at the Britton-Bennett Funeral Home in Steelville, MO. Funeral service was held at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, January 17, 2011 at the Britton-Bennett Funeral Home in Steelville, MO with Rev. Bud Sanders officiating. Special music of "In the Garden" and "Beyond the Sunset" was played. Committal prayer and burial were in the Steelville Cemetery. Honored to be casket bearers were Mike Johnston, Rick Garrison, Wesley Keith, Bill Worsham, Charles Harper and Paul Keith. Honorary casket bearers were Brent Moore, Brian FitzGerald, Bill Dobkins and Eric Stearns. The Family was served by the Britton-Bennett Funeral Home of Steelville, MO.