Helen Marie Solheim

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Helen Marie Solheim, age 95, of Garretson, passed away on Friday, January 10, 2014, in rural Garretson. Funeral services will begin at 10:30 AM Wednesday, January 15, 2014, at Zion Lutheran Church in Garretson. Visitation with the family present will be from 5-7:00 PM Tuesday, at the Minnehaha Funeral Home, Garretson. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Zion Lutheran Church Remodeling Project.

Helen Marie Reecy was born on January 18, 1918 in rural Canistota, South Dakota, to Frank and Mollie (Swing) Reecy. She attended elementary grades in country schools and graduated from high school at Humboldt, South Dakota. She attended college at Springfield, South Dakota, where she received her teaching certificate. Helen taught in country schools throughout South Dakota up until 1944 when she married the love of her life, Sylvan E. Solheim. Together they lived and farmed all their lives at Sylvan’s grandparent’s homestead west of Garretson.

Helen and Sylvan raised six children. They attended Norway Lutheran Church until it closed and then attended Zion Lutheran Church. She was always busy and was active in Ladies Aid & Circle, 4-H, her children’s school activities, Extension Club, and Neighbor’s Club. She loved gardening and canning, sewing and quilting, raising chickens, cooking, and baking. She said she loved the variety a housekeeper had!

Helen loved children and teaching and raising kids. She was gentle yet strong, kind yet firm, intelligent yet humble, generous and always a gracious lady. She was actively engaged in farming until December of 2008 when she suffered a stroke. She did recover and enjoyed watching the harvest right up to last fall.

Helen was preceded in death by her husband, Sylvan; all four siblings; son, Stanton; and a son-in-law, Lee Larson. Ever grateful for sharing her life are her five children: Jim (Virginia) Solheim, Garretson, Linda Larson, Garretson, Roger (Jane) Solheim, Omaha, Robert (Carol) Solheim, Hartford, and Nancy (Bill) Kraemer, Parker; 10 grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.