June 25, 1926 - March 8, 2026
Helen Luchini Vigil was born on June 25, 1926, at the Luchini Ranch in Derry, New Mexico. She passed away peacefully on March 8, 2026, at her ranch in Stockton, California, just four months before her 100th birthday.
Helen was one of six siblings; each of them lived well into their nineties. Growing up in a simpler era, Helen spent her childhood riding horses and helping with chores around the ranch. She truly loved the outdoors and the country life.
In 1946, Helen married Ray Vigil, the love of her life. Their marriage was a partnership filled with devotion to family and faith. Together, they built a life based on hard work, love, and perseverance.
Helen wrote of her life and faith through prose and poetry. In one poem from 2009 at the age of 83, Helen described the life she built through faith and perseverance:
“For 83 years, these hands have served me well… I raised
four children with my hands… My hands were the tools to
raise our children. We did a good job. I let the Lord guide my
hands.”
Ray often told her she had “blessed hands,” and Helen believed God guided her hands. Her hands told the story of her life, cooking meals, sewing blankets, wiping tears, and caring for those she loved. She was known for her creativity, beauty, and love. Although a country girl at heart, she was a classy dresser and always looked her best. She could often be found outdoors working on something; she was often called the busiest bee in the garden. Even as she grew older, Helen’s curiosity and love of learning stayed strong. In her final weeks, she enjoyed watching cooking shows with her son, Donovan, and talking about the recipes she wanted to try.
Helen’s faith was strong from a young age, and throughout her life, she prayed every day for her family. One of her greatest sorrows was losing her oldest daughter, Myra, to cancer in 2024. Even as she carried that grief, Helen’s faith stayed strong.
She will be remembered always for her strength, her kindness, her unwavering faith, and the love she poured into her family. Her legacy lives on in the hearts of those who knew her and in the many lives she shaped with her hands and her heart.
Helen will be dearly missed and forever loved by family and friends.
Helen was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Ray, and her oldest daughter, Myra. She is survived by her children, Donovan (Diane), Lisa (David) Wade, and Donna; her grandchildren, Sarah (Jason) Jones, Ramona Dellinger, Rachel (Anthony) Sukurski, Joshua Vigil, Sean McCombs, Amy (Andrew) Billups, Justin (Julie) Wade, and Garrett Wade; her great-grandchildren, Emily, Alison, and Olivia Jones; Audrey and Nora Dellinger; Rowan, Quinn, and Cal Sukurski; Shyanne and Paisley Billups; Jayce Wade; her sister-in-law, Cherie (Russell) Crowel; and her brother-in-law, Albert Vigil and numerous Vigil and Luchini nieces and nephews.
SERVICES:
Services will be held at 10 a.m. on Friday, April 10, 2026, at the Holy Cross Church, 18633 E. Front St., Linden. Interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to Boystown.org or Veterans of Foreign Wars.
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Cherokee Memorial is honored to serve the Vigil family.