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Helen leaves her Sedona,
Smoke Trail Ranch for the last time |
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| Sedona Legend Profile Series |
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| A Tapestry of Threaded Memories- |
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| Late fall was in the air. The cottonwoods of Smoke Trail Ranch, now (Red Rock State Park) were crowned with God's artistry in a vast array of golden colors. The hot blasts of heat sweeping through the canyons were just a memory now. Helen was walking down by the creek on Old Smoke Trail under the golden leaves, listening to the rhythmic flow of Oak Creek over the rocks and rapids. Her heart was absorbed by the beauty of this lovely place: her and Jack's Smoke Trail Ranch. Yet at the same time she was saddened by a darkness that had decended over her of which she could not escape. You see, Helen was suffering from terminal lung cancer. Her time to leave this earth was nigh. She was only 71, and felt she should still have many more years to live, but she knew in her heart it was not to be. If only she could somehow take this beauty with her, this place she had never wanted to be far from, this place that was the very essence of her spirit: Sedona and her ranch. A chill suddenly came over her. The wind was rustling through the leaves now emitting the sound that can only be heard from Arizona Cottonwoods. Leaves started falling like snowflakes on a winter's day obscuring the golden rays of the late afternoon sun. Helen pulled her shawl around her shivering body and started back to the Wings of the Wind. Later that night while sitting in front of her fireplace, Helen knew she would make the journey up to the House of Apache Fires one last time in the morning. |
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The next morning Helen awoke after having slept peacefully. It seems her dreams were always about the past now, dreams of memories out of reach, of people whom have passed on, joys and love she had experienced. Her housekeeper helped dress her frail body and prepare Helen for the last time she would ever set foot in the House of Apache Fires. It was another crisp and sunny Sedona day, Helen was grateful to her Creator for allowing her such beauty on this monumental occasion. At last Helen arrived at the House of Apache Fires and the massive door was swung open.
She stepped into the entry way of the dreamhouse that she and Jack built, and immediately a flood of emotion like an old friend permeated her entire body. It overwhelmed her so much she reached out to the wall to steady herself. The elderly woman asked to be left alone now, as she wandered the hallways and empty rooms. You see, the House of Apache Fires was not empty to her, rather it was filled with memories that no other person could possibly embrace, memories of hopes and dreams. Jack was there waiting for her, she felt him in every room. She felt him more and more now, as her time to move on neared. He was in her dreams every night, the fringes of her mind each day. Suddenly she turned around, she felt his radiance, his powerful presence, his love and the words, "I am here, Helen, don't be afraid, I am waiting for you." Helen started weeping. It was like he really was there, like he had never been gone, like he had never died. She looked around, but only emptiness reflected back in her weary eyes. |
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Helen composed herself and continued into what was to be Jack's TWA (home) office and gazed out of the massive windows that framed their valley below and horizons of the Sedona countryside. The vistas were forever, beauty unsurpassed in her mind, and overwhelmingly beautiful. Yes, this was her Sedona. Then her eyes came to rest on the Wings of the Wind Estate, high on its bluff, a sentinel to it all. Suddenly, a sadness touched her, in realizing that Jack was never able to share it with her. With tears streaking her weathered face, she made her way slowly out of Jack's office and to the front door, her body racked with pain from the life robbing cancer. She knew she would never again visit this place, at least in the physical. As she passed through the front door her frail hands caressed the door frame lovingly and gently. She made her way down the walkway and her friends helped her into the waiting car, Helen Frye left the House of Apache Fires for the last time. Her energy spent and near collapse, she was ready at last to be admitted to the hospital.
Helen's life was ebbing away in that cold sterile building where lives were saved, but her's wouldn't be one of them. After many tests and procedures, she decided to sign herself out while she still had the strength. Helen was determined the life she had left would be spent on the property she belonged living or dead: Smoke Trail Ranch. |
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She was driven back to the ranch, past the gates and up the long winding drive. At last, she felt a relief deep in her soul. Yes, this is where she wanted to spend the last precious moments of life, not in a hospital filled with strangers. She made her way through the door into her "sanctuary" Wings of the Wind. She was home at last. She vowed she would not leave again.
Later Helen, sat misty-eyed, for what seemed like an eternity in front of the plate glass windows of the Wings of the Wind. She gazed out for hours on her beloved Smoke Trail Ranch in a trance of sorts. The memories swirled around and through her like the mist on a foggy day. She allowed herself to embrace each and every one. Helen wanted to hold on to these memories for an eternity, to never forget one incident.
Jack and her were flying over Smoke Trail Ranch in their gleeming Lockheed Electra. She could hear the drone of the powerful engines. She relived them both discovering this lovely valley together, claiming it as theirs. The memories of their dreams and disappointments, their love and passion, and all the friends they shared their lives with. It was all here, displayed below her in a tapestry of threaded memories. Helen Varner Vanderbilt Frye resolved she would never forget this place and her life here, she would hold it in her heart for an eternity! |
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Finally, after what seemed a lifetime of gazing out on her Sedona valley, Helen weakly retired to her bedroom, her heart filled with joy. Helen was at peace, she did not fear death. She was firm in her belief that God was not an entity to be feared, but a loving energy that was a part of all people and things.
Helen Varner Vanderbilt Frye died that night on December 4, 1979. Her weakened body slipped away, life spent, energy depleted. Helen's spirit however did not expire, it soared free. Her essence exited Wings of the Wind and soared up over Smoke Trail Ranch, above the golden trees and far above the ribbon of Oak Creek. Then her soul entered the House of Apache Fires, where another presence was waiting for her. This presence overwhelmed her with the most wonderful sense of rememberance and love. It was "her" Jack. His radiance shone out into the empty rooms with a blinding light of unconditional love. Then he reached out to her, embracing her spirit. Helen was suddenly filled with a joy that was immeasurable, a universal love indescribable. All her loneliness and anquish melted away in that moment. In an instant they soared hand in hand up out of the House of Apache Fires, far and away, free of the physical earth. Light as a feather they journeyed through a tunnel of vibrant colors and into the most beautiful light and love Helen had ever experienced. Their journey complete, Helen was now surrounded by incredible light and love, and the souls of those whom had passed on. Those she had known, those she had forgotten, they all greeted her and welcomed her home, home to the essence of God. |
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| Please Note: This is a fictional story about Helen, based on true events. It is written in a way that reflected Helen Frye's last days and her own beliefs in the hereafter. |
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| Helen Frye did not want to believe she was terminally ill. She disliked having to see doctors, and detested hospitals. Unfortunately Helen had smoked most of her life, and this abuse came back to haunt her in the end. In the fall of 1979 Helen's sister came to the Wings of the Wind to see her. Helen was visibly ill, her sister urged her to see a specialist or enter a hospital. Helen wanted none of it. Helen didn't need a doctor to tell her what she already knew in her heart, it was nearly over. The time period now was the end of November. Helen's neighbor and good friend implored Helen to enter the Flagstaff Hospital. Helen finally agreed, an ambulance arrived at the estate and Helen was rushed up the canyon, her life precarious. The news however was not favorable. The x-rays revealed severe lung carcinoma, and pulmonary insufficiency. The doctor gave Helen- 5 days to live. By now Helen was dependent on oxygen to breathe. Helen returned home to the Wings of the Wind and died within days. For more information on this time of her life, please see: Broken Promises and Opportunists. |
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Helen Varner Vanderbilt Frye was cremated and her ashes were scattered over the knoll on which her home stood above Smoke Trail Ranch- free to mix with the Wings of the Wind for an eternity!
Interesting to note:
It was decided that Helen's ashes would be scattered over the property she loved for so many years, Smoke Trail Ranch. However in light of my research, I have found so little of Helen's wishes were honored that it is anyone's guess what Helen herself would have desired.
A small group of friends, (less than 10) gathered at the Wings of the Wind estate for the somber occassion. The ashes were scattered from the rear terrace over an adjoining cliff of red rocks. The funeral event was not so serene however. Court depositions state that the ashes were blown back in the faces of the mourners trying to scatter them. It seems a wind mysteriously rose up out of the abyss, keeping the ashes from settling. Was this some kind of omen? It certainly is well remembered by at least two people of whom were actually there and still find the event quite unnerving. Ashes unsucessfully scattered, refusing to be laid to rest? Perhaps Helen showing her disapproval of certain events and betrayals not such a reach after reading this: Ownership History of Smoke Trail Ranch. |
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Sedona Legend Helen Frye Website
Created By R. D. Reynolds
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| Sedona Legend Helen Frye |
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