Helen Speliotes Morland

Las Cruces, NM - Helen "Elaine" Speliotes Morland, 96, longtime resident of Las Cruces, peacefully passed away on March 17, 2017. Born July 31, 1920 in Ipswich, Massachusetts, she was the second of eight children born to Socrates and Eva Speliotes. She was predeceased by her sisters Faye Christopher, Georgia Arnold, Sophie Dobbins, Alice Angell and brothers Charles, William, and Peter Speliotes. While spending time in Texas in the 1950s, Helen met and fell in love with Howard I Morland, who was serving his country. The two married, and embarked on a series of adventures. Through Howard's work for NASA, they had the opportunity to travel the world and live in amazing places including visiting all 50 states, and residing in Ft Worth, Texas; Lima, Peru; Quito, Ecuador; Tarpon Springs, Florida; and Las Cruces, New Mexico. While in Florida, Helen witnessed many space vehicle launches, and also the blessing of diving for the cross. While in Peru, the Morlands attended an elegant dinner, hosted by NASA, to meet and shake hands with the first man on the moon, Neil Armstrong. In Peru and Ecuador, Helen hosted many elegant parties at her home. Helen always said she was a "small town girl made good". Regardless of where she was living, Helen returned to Ipswich every year to visit her mother and father. After Howard's death in the late 1990s, Helen continued to travel with friends and family, including several fabulous Greek cruises with her sister, Faye. Helen loved traveling with Faye, with each woman spending over a month each summer at the other's home going to Greek dances and festivals, and casinos. While in New England visiting Faye each summer, Helen loved sunbathing at the beach, having steamed lobster; visiting The Clam Box in Ipswich, MA for "the best" fried clams and The Agawam Diner for "the best" blueberry cream pies and fig squares. Upon Faye's death, Helen honored her memory by daily wearing lavender or a piece of her jewelry. Helen loved to spark up conversations with strangers while out and about. While visiting a casino in Laughlin, NV with Faye, she learned that the movie " Leaving Las Vegas" was being filmed there. Faye and Helen became movie extras and actually can be seen in the background of a scene, which was thrilling for both of them. Celebrity Status! Helen's favorite saying was "Age is just a number, it's not the miles, it's how you live them. I'm truly blessed!". She epitomized this saying every day of her life, and was an inspiration to many, both young and old. She was an active member of the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in El Paso, Texas until her death. Helen is survived by her niece, Donna Hill (Dick), great-niece Jennifer Jansen (Ryan) and their children Patrick & Zoe, all of whom she visited each July. Another special niece is Debbie Kouklamanis (Ernie) and great-niece Potula. Helen had many friends in Las Cruces and El Paso. She treasured each and every person in her life and was a blessing to those who knew her. Services for Helen are as follows: Sunday at 5:00 pm at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in El Paso, TX, and Monday visitation from 5-7 at Getz Funeral Home, Las Cruces, NM. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, 124 S. Festival Dr., El Paso, TX 79912 and/or St. Elias the Prophet Greek Orthodox Church, 46 Calle Electra, Santa Fe, NM 87508. First Visitation
Sunday, March 26, 2017 5:00pm - 7:00pmService Information
Monday, March 27, 2017,
St. Nicholas Greek Orhodox

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