Helen Marcelle Staples, affectionately known as Bid, Biddy, Auntie Bid, Miss Biddy, and Miss Helen, passed away on March 2, 2025, at Magnolia Glen in Raleigh, North Carolina. She was born on April 30, 1923, in Uitenhage (now Kariega) in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa to Rhoda Jane Scott, originally of Sydney, Australia, and Albert Willard Staples of Cape Town (whose beautiful blue eyes she inherited).

The eldest of five siblings, Bid grew up with her two sisters, Doreen and Shirley, and her two brothers, Russell and Warren. Biddy had very fond memories of life in Cape Town and the many visits to see Granny (Martha) Long and Albert Warner Staples at their idyllic farm near Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape where she enjoyed drinking Calabash milk from a gourd. She also greatly enjoyed summers in the little town of Kleinemonde in a small cottage at the mouth of two rivers emptying into the sea.

Another childhood memory was when their mother, Rhoda, took all the children home for a visit to Australia just before WWII broke out. They were stranded there for quite a while when the war started before they could find a ship to return to South Africa. When they did, it was carrying Jewish refugees who had been refused entry into Australia. On its frightful journey back to South Africa, the ship was trailed by German craft trying to sink her. They had to be especially careful at night to keep all the shades drawn tight so no light would escape and managed to evade the U-Boats and arrive back in South Africa safely.

Regarded as brilliant, studious, and full of energy, she pursued higher education, earning a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Johannesburg and a Teaching Certificate from the University of Cape Town. Her career began as an English teacher at Ellerslie Girls' High School in Cape Town before she moved to the United States to attend Columbia University for graduate studies.

Bid later transitioned into publishing, working as an editor in New York City. Memories from family at this time recall her very chic style and active social life. During this period, she became engaged to a Dutchman named Adolf, but after traveling extensively through Europe while he recovered from an illness, she decided to call off the engagement. She then accepted a teaching position at Lisgar Collegiate Institute in Ottawa, where she adored her students but found the arctic winters much too cold for her liking.

Returning to the United States in 1978 after a long visit with family back in South Africa, Bid lived briefly in Boston before settling back in New York City. She worked as a meticulous editor for the global legal firm White & Case, where her skilled knowledge and facility with the English language earned her a permanent position. Upon retirement, she chose to move to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, drawn by its academic opportunities, great public transportation system, mild weather, and natural beauty which reminded her often of South Africa.

A voracious reader and devoted follower of current events, Bid maintained an active lifestyle well into her later years. Never one to shy away from a conversation, Auntie Bid had a way of drawing you in and engaging you for many hours at a time! Biddy loved walking the extensive grounds at her residence in Magnolia Glen and often visited her favorite garden plaque which read, “Those we love, don’t go away. They walk beside us every day. Unseen, unheard, but always near. Still loved, still missed, and always dear.” When reading these words, Biddy would reflect emotionally on family members she held close to her heart who had passed ahead of her. She and sister Doreen (later in Australia) were very close, engaging in frequent lengthy exchanges while far apart. Above all else, Biddy cherished her family deeply and was always ready to help them at a moment’s notice.

Biddy is survived by her brother Russell in Michigan (now 100), Brother-in-Law Bert Clifford in Australia, Sister-In-Law Betty Staples in South Africa, 10 nieces and nephews, and 21 grand-nieces and grand-nephews, spread out across the USA, Australia, and South Africa. 

Biddy was predeceased by her sisters, Shirley and Doreen, and her brother, Warren, as well as her sister-in-law Phyllis Staples, wife to her brother Russell.

Biddy will be profoundly missed by those who knew and loved her.

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