On December 17th, Helen Audrey Duree, age 66, died of lung cancer, surrounded by her family at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank.

Passionate about helping the community and connecting with others, Helen served on the Glenn County Board of Education and actively participated in Rotary and the Chamber of Commerce. She practiced law on behalf of those who needed her help the most and advocated for and mentored youths in the juvenile justice system. Before moving to Orland in 2005, Helen lived in Burbank, where she provided pro bono legal representation for battered persons as well as ran her own insurance agency.

Born in Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Helen lived to see the day when the U.S. government announced plans to normalize relations with Cuba. She would have been the first on a plane to visit. Having lived in Spain on the Zaragoza Air Base as a teenager, she was fluent in Spanish and this encouraged her to embrace other cultures and ways of thinking.

Helen loved Orland and treasured the friends she made here. Her husband, Arturo Rodriguez, three children, extended family and friends will miss her fiery free spirit. For further information, call Nicole and Arturo at 201-927-0583.