Helen Lake is the kind of person who is willing to work without pay, help without being asked and contribute when others cannot.

Lake has devoted much of her life to helping others through a variety of ways, both privately and as a member of multiple city, county and hospital boards. She has served on the Grays Harbor County Tourism Board, the Mark Reed Hospital Board, the Children’s Advocacy Center Board, the McCleary Planning Commission as well as the McCleary City Council. She also has gone to local schools and to speak to students about careers in business.

She is a lifelong resident of Grays Harbor County who says that while there were plenty of employment opportunities that would have allowed her to move to a big city, the love of a small-town atmosphere kept her local.

“I love the people,” 73-year-old Lake says.

“Aunt Helen” as she is often called by those in need, is always willing to put aside her free time to help others with questions or tax issues, a service she provides for free.

“People come in and ask me about things like, ‘How do I buy a house? How do I get a tax break as an elderly individual?’” Lake said. “I’m kind of like a mini chamber of commerce.”

Lake’s work ethic, she says, is rooted in her upbringing with her working from an early age.

She was born prematurely in 1943 at her family’s home in Brady. She recalled stories heard over the years about her birth, specifically noting the home-made incubator (a warming oven atop a wood stove) used to keep her warm as an infant.

Lake noted that her parents worked tirelessly to provide for their children. As her parents worked all day, and sometimes into the night, it made sense for the Lake family to all live together at Lake’s grandmother’s farm in Brady. There she attended elementary school before moving to McCleary and later attending Montesano High School.

Schoolwork was far from her only obligation as a young woman.

“We (Lake’s four sisters and brother) all were taught to work from an early age, I lived on a farm, and I thought everybody worked like that until I grew up and found out they didn’t,” Lake said.

Lake and her siblings began working on the family farm around the age of 12, and though she promised herself that she would never be a farmer, she didn’t mind the work.

“We fed chickens, milked cows, hauled hay and picked vegetables,” Lake said.

In high school, Lake worked waiting tables at The Hut, a small restaurant that stood where Thriftway in Montesano is now located. Not a fan of the food, Lake would walk over to the Bee Hive to eat and ultimately lost her first job as a result.

“That was the only job I ever got fired from,” Lake said.

She later attended college at Saint Martin’s University in Lacey and South Puget Sound Community College, taking night classes at both having already started a family with her now ex-husband, Don Lake.

“It was a struggle to balance school, work and kids,” she said.

While pursuing a career in real estate — and being a mother to her two kids and wife to her husband — Lake also worked for a plumbing and electricical company in McCleary as well as for the McCleary Theater.

She earned her real estate license in 1972. Lake and Don began a business model that lasted for some 30 years.

“My husband, then, was a contractor. He built houses, so once he had them built we would sell them,” Lake said.

She continued her work in real estate until last year when lung cancer put her career on hold. However, Lake’s health has not stopped her from reaching out and helping the community.

“You always help people with less than you, that’s just how we were brought up,” Lake said. It’s a lesson she learned from her parents. “My grandmother always said to ‘do unto others as you would have them do unto you.’ If you have knowledge, money or food and others don’t then you should share what you have.”

There are other ways to give besides food or money, she said.

“It doesn’t cost you any money to give knowledge and help people,” Lake said.

When asked what the most rewarding aspect of her community service has been, Lake said the people are of the utmost importance to her.

“The most rewarding part would have to be meeting all the people and being able to help them,” Lake said.

She may not be able to get out and do as much as she used to, but there are still ways for her to contribute to her community. One way is by sharing knowledge at council meetings.

Still a regular attendee at McCleary Council meetings, Lake said that while she goes to stay informed, she also realizes that other citizens may have questions or comments that she may be equipped to address. Whatever the reasons for attending a council meeting, Lake says, the important thing is that the meetings are attended by the community. “People should attend council meetings so that they know what’s going on,” she says.

Many people are so busy that it may be difficult for them to make the meetings, but Lake stresses that council meetings are only twice a month and the council could address information vital to their person, home or business.

“The only time there’s a whole bunch of people at a council meeting is when something ‘owie’ goes on, but there’s a whole bunch of stuff that goes on in between that impacts them and they don’t even really know it,” Lake said.

Even with her heavy involvement in the community, Lake does have spare time every now and then where she can engage in her hobbies.

Reading mystery and crime novels, painting and spending time with her grandchildren are all things that Lake is looking forward to doing more if she indeed decides to semi-retire. She may even have a 5-year overdue honeymoon with her husband Steve Hamilton.

But Lake says she will continue to help people with their tax issues for as long as she’s able.

“I can’t just sit and do nothing, it drives me nuts,” Lake said.