Helen Jelliff

It is with heavy hearts we announce the passing of Helen (Bailey) Jelliff. She peacefully passed away on April 23, 2026, at the age of 81 in Rockingham County at Ancora Compassionate Care in Wentworth, NC.

Helen was born on May 31, 1944, in Van Etten, NY, the last born child of 13 to Clarence and Mary (Harrington) Bailey. She married her late husband Carl Jelliff Jr. on March 6, 1963. They had a very successful business named Jelliff's Scrap Yard, where they lived on State Route 228 in Odessa, NY, for over 20 years. During that time, she had three sons, Keith, Joe, and Andy, and a daughter, Rose.

Besides helping run the business, she also did part-time home health care. When they moved to Port Charlotte, Florida, she obtained her CNA license, working at a couple of nursing homes for over 20 years. A short time after her husband passed away in 2006, she retired and moved to Madison, NC, to be closer to her daughter and family.

Some of her favorite things to do were to play the slots at the casinos, spend time with family, and bake. She was jokingly called the crazy cat lady because she had a thing for taking in strays and had many cats at one time.

Now that she has passed, she will be rejoining her husband, parents, two infant grandsons, and all her siblings in heaven as they are all already there waiting for her.

She is survived by her children, Keith (Peggy) Jelliff, Joe (Trish) Jelliff, Andy (Kathy) Jelliff, and Rose (Leif) Cole, along with several others that she was blessed with who called her mom, as well as many wonderful grandchildren and great-grandchildren whom she loved deeply and who were so special to her.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, May 2, 2026, at 2:00 PM at Vedder-Scott & Zinger Funeral Home, 122 N. Genesee St., Montour Falls, NY. Burial will follow in Laurel Hill Cemetery. After the burial service, there will be a gathering at the home of Andy & Kathy Jelliff.