Helynn O. Wilson, a big soul in a small package – who nearly became a nun but instead made a marvelous mother – died peacefully at home in Greenwood, Indiana, on Nov. 5, 2024. She was 84.

The only child of Elleretta Shannon Olson and Bill Olson, Helynn Marie Olson was born in Cleveland on Sept. 8, 1940. Bill – a former rodeo-circuit rider – managed a saddlery store, where Elleretta kept the books.

Nurtured by the Shannons – her mother's large Irish-Catholic family – Helynn felt called to devote her life to the church, and so she joined a convent. But after a year as a novice, she left in 1959 to marry Henry Clark Tinnerman, who worked in his family's manufacturing business. The couple had three children. Helynn never became a sister, but she shone as a mother.

A woman of grace and gratitude, Helynn led her family by setting a caring example. Whenever someone behaved rudely or unkindly, "Give grace," she would say. "You don't know what kind of day they're having." And, "Say a Hail Mary when you hear sirens. The sound of sirens means someone is in trouble."

She set high standards for her children: "Responsibilities first. Then you can play." Among the weightiest responsibilities, she insisted, was service to others: "Those blessed with mind and body in good working order" must help those who aren't as lucky. "Of course it's inconvenient," she would say. "Do it anyway."

Helynn cared deeply for animals, and rescued many (usually dogs, but also once a goat.) If she noticed a dog kept outside in harsh weather, tethered on a short line and becoming thin, Helynn would enlist her children in a liberation effort, stealthily capturing the pooch, taking it for veterinary care and then nursing it back to health while scouring the newspapers for lost-dog notices. If the owners cared their dog was missing, Helynn reasoned, there would be a notice. There never was. Helynn found a good home for each rescued animal and felt the world was a better place.

Her children remember not just Helynn's steady guidance and empathetic example, but also her humor and independent spirit.

When the kids were young, all the other moms drove station wagons. Helynn had a yellow Fiat convertible.

She believed good family meals were a priority, but spending the day in the kitchen was not her cup of tea. Her solution: Purchase carryout, nestle it into your own casserole dishes and pop it into the oven on warm. (Discreetly tuck all that packaging into the garage trash can.)  Frozen pies are a good option: Remove the pie from the oven just as the crust edges soften. Indent the geometrically perfect crust rim with your own thumbprints and return to the oven. Voilá! Homemade pie.

In the early 1970s, Helynn and her three children boarded a train in Indianapolis, heading for a Florida vacation. Two hours later, the train derailed. Two of the kids were thrown into an (occupied!) onboard restroom while Helynn and the other child were tossed off the train. They were banged up, but not seriously injured, and when an ambulance came to transport them for evaluation at a hospital, Helynn said it would be nice to ride up front. All four squeezed onto the bench seat with the driver, and Helynn asked if he could switch on the siren. He did. "Isn't this fun, kids?" Helynn asked.

At a sleek 5 foot 4, she was often the smallest person in a room, but her incandescent personality lit the entire space. Dressed in understated elegance, Helynn made a striking presence at any gathering. And she was an ideal audience: she would laugh heartily at anyone's story.

Helynn was a 1958 graduate of the Ursuline Academy of the Sacred Heart Beaumont School for Girls in Cleveland Heights, and she attended Kent State University.

In 1962, Helynn and Henry Tinnerman and two children, Jackie and Randy, moved from Cleveland to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where a third child, Jenny, was born. The couple divorced in 1970.

Later that year, Helynn met Bob Wilson, an Indianapolis real estate developer. They married in 1971 and the family moved to the Southside of Indianapolis.

Bob died in 2006, and Henry in 2010. But Helynn's decency and fierce devotion to her children meant the kids had strong relationships with "two good dads," as they put it.

Helynn's loyalty and commitment extended to a wide circle of friends as well as to many service organizations. She gave her time generously in both Indiana and Florida, at hospitals, Humane Societies, hospices, the Salvation Army and the Children's Home Society of Florida.

Helynn is survived by her children, Jacquelynn Tinnerman Briggs of Greenwood, Randall Henry Tinnerman (Julia Jones) of Greenwood, and Jennifer Helynn Tinnerman of Fort Lauderdale. She leaves behind granddaughters Madelynn Grace Briggs (Peter Felton) of Austin, Texas, and Carolynn Jennifer Briggs of Indianapolis.

She also will be missed by many friends. "She leaves joy in the souls of all lucky enough to have known her," said daughter Jackie.

Friends may call from 3 to 5 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 18, 2024 at Swartz Family Community Mortuary and Memorial Center, 300 S. Morton Street (US 31 South), Franklin, Indiana.

Pastor Dustin Hite will conduct a funeral service at 5 p.m.

Friends and family are welcome to remain after the service to share a meal and remembrances of Helynn.

Those who cannot be present for the service may attend it online at www.swartzmortuary.com/obituary/helynnwilson. Online condolences also may be noted at SwartzMortuary.com.

Memorial contributions may be made to:

·         Humane Society of Johnson County at hsjc.org

·         Or to the Salvation Army at give.salvationarmyusa.org

Please indicate your gift is in Helynn's memory.