Helen M. Rister

Helen Merchant Rister, 95, formerly of Prosperity, widow of James E. Rister, died Friday, June 12, 2020 at Southpoint Health and Rehab in Greenville.

She was born on December 26, 1924 in Prosperity to the late Roland and Nannie Bell “Sue” Quattlebaum Merchant. She lived many years in Newberry before moving to Prosperity on the lake. Mrs. Rister worked for ISE of America for 21 years and was a most gifted and talented seamstress. As a seamstress she sewed for her family and community often looking at the most recent styles and making her own patterns to duplicate the most fashionable styles of the day. She was the oldest member of Mayer Memorial Lutheran Church where she had sung in the choir, kept the nursery and played on the church softball team as pitcher until she was 55 years old.

Her family delighted in her delicious cooking and her greatest joy in life was her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. As a doting grandparent she loved following her grands as they participated in a variety of sports events to the extent of getting on a plane something she vowed never to do to go watch a grandchild participate in a sports event.

Mrs. Rister is survived by daughters, Christine Fisher and Janice (Mark) Skalicky both of Greenville and Linda H. Clark of Newberry; a son, Wayne (Karin) Rister of Newberry; grandchildren, Kent Haltiwanger, Shannon Murphy, Lauren Dillard, Jay Haltiwanger, Jody Haltiwanger, Shawn Barbare, Sherry Galbraith, Chris Rister, Jaime Browning, Amber Morgan and Ameila Skalicky, twenty-five great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandhildren. She was predeceased by siblings, Dot Givens, Allene “Ennie” Cook and David Merchant.

Graveside services will be held at 11:00 am Monday, June 15, 2020 at Newberry Memorial Gardens by the Rev. Floyd Sides. Memorials may be made to Mayer Memorial Lutheran Church, 1307 Drayton Street, Newberry, SC 29108.