Sulphur, LA —    Helen Arline Eppler, 91, of Sulphur, Louisiana passed away June 5, 2012.  She was born in Fort Clark, Texas on September 10, 1920 to the late E. J. and Jessie Collins Barricklow.

   Helen is preceded in death by her parents and husband, Euell Eppler.  She is survived by her daughter, Dinah Fontenot and husband, Richard of Sulphur, Louisiana; 2 sons, Phillip Eppler and wife, Sunny of Magnolia, Texas and Kelly Eppler of Fort Lauderdale, Florida; 6 grandchildren; 8 great-grandchildren; 2 sisters, Louis and Ruth; and brother, Ben.

   On any summer day in 1933, shoppers walking along the streets of downtown San Antonio, Texas, could hear a familiar singing voice coming from Gluckman’s Department Store – that of their very own 13-year-old Helen Barricklow.  Known throughout the Alamo City as “The Songbird of the Air”, Helen served as the store’s official greeter and was prominently stationed at the entrance in a customized booth affixed with her lofty title.

   Helen’s singing career began at the age of three with a standing-ovation performance at San Antonio’s Travis Park Methodist Church.  From that time on, the little curly haired brunette was hooked on entertaining and destined for show-biz!  San Antonio’s littlest artist was in great demand, appearing on stage at the Majestic, Texas and Aztec theaters.  She even had her own fifteen-minute radio program on station WOAI.

   Her big break, however, came when she was given an opportunity to appear in Charles Dillingham’s “New Faces of 1934” in New York City.  After extended pleading with her father, E.J., and mother, Jessie, Helen set out on her journey to Broadway.  After a long train ride, Helen and her dance teacher/stage mother settled into their room at the Belvedere Hotel at 48th and 8th.  Helen practiced for her big role in between school lessons with a private tutor.  The opening night performance, which included cast members Henry Fonda and Imogene Coca, was a great success.  Helen later appeared in the productions of “Gypsy Blonde” at the Lyric Theatre and “Tobacco Road” at the Theatre Masque.  She also sang on-stage duets with Gordon MacRae, swam with Johnny Weissmuller and palled around with Baby Rose Marie.  Her comment about it all:  “There was a lot of glitter but just as much hard work”.

   But in the summer of 1936, while visiting her grandparents in Oklahoma, she met Euell Eppler, a six-foot tall, blonde, blue-eyed singer and fiddler with the Oklahoma Cowhands.  It was love at first sight for the two entertainers and they married the following year.  Helen exchanged her Broadway career for that of a housewife and mother to three children, Philip, Dinah and Kelly, all of whom could sing and play musical instruments.

   The Epplers eventually moved to Port Arthur, Texas, to work and raise their family.  Euell was a glazer and Helen performed volunteer work, assisting many non-funded organizations, including the diverse projects of the United Board of Missions (Meals-on- Wheels, Share-a-Toy, and Back-to-School Clothes).  For the next forty years, they continued to make music at religious and social events throughout the Texas Golden Triangle.

   A graveside service was held Thursday, June 7, 2012 at 1:00 p.m. at Memory Gardens of Jefferson County.