Helena was the eldest daughter of John James Boyd and his wife Ann Elizabeth (nee Barker). John was a successful builder based in Newtown. In 1898 at the age of 22, Helena married Robert Albert Upchurch, known as Albert or Bob. Albert was a plumber.
After their marriage, the couple lived in Picton Avenue, Newtown. Their first child Albert Edward was born in 1899 and a daughter Ida Florence in 1903. By 1908 the family had moved to Hunterville.
In January 1909, Helena gave birth to her third child named Helena May. Helena died shortly after on 10th January, presumably as a result of the birth. She was 32 years old. Her body was bought from Hunterville to Wellington and her funeral departed from her father’s house ‘The Anchorage’ in Kilbirnie at 2pm on 13th January for Karori Cemetery.
On the 11th September in the same year, baby Helena May also died and was interred with her mother at Karori Cemetery.
When Helena’s father John died in 1928, his estate was worth over £100,000. He specifically bequeathed £500 to each of Helena’s remaining two children. Helena’s mother Ann died in 1948 aged 88. John and Ann lie in the adjoining plot to Helena’s
*Public/K/115.
Helena’s beautiful headstone is a good example of the clasped handshake symbol. The two cuffs are distinctly masculine and feminine in their detail. It is used to symbolise unity between two people after death where the deceased has left a loved one behind.
Plot: *Public/K/77
By Julia Kennedy
