Helen J. (Sandbeck) Seiple

SCHOLL, SANDBECK, SEIPLE, HAWKINS, SMORSTAD, KRUMME, STUCKMAN KUBITZ, TODD, KVAMMEN

Posted By: Volunteer
Date: 7/28/2006 at 14:41:29

Helen Seiple

Helen J. Seiple, 87, formerly of Waukon, died Saturday, May 20, 2006, at Shoreline Healthcare Center in Long Beach, Calif., following a long illness. Funeral services were held May 26 at Christian Life Church, Long Beach, with arrangements by Hunter Perez Mortuary. Burial was at Green Hills Cemetery, San Pedro, Calif.

Helen Sandbeck was the fifth of eight children born to Melvin and Clara (Scholl) Sandbeck. She was baptized and confirmed at Glenwood Lutheran Church, rural Decorah. She graduated from Waukon Senior High with the Class of 1939, and taught at rural schools before moving to Long Beach in 1943, where she worked for Shell Chemical during the war. There she met Chalmer A. "Sipe" Seiple, a widower with two children. Helen and Sipe were married in 1946 and raised two sons.

They enjoyed a lengthy retirement until her husband's death in 1985. In the following years, Helen pursued her interests and hobbies in a life centered in church and family. She enjoyed rosemaling, and her siblings all have a sample of her artwork in their homes. She owned a dozen musical instruments, and played for friends and at church functions. She composed several hymns and wrote hundreds of poems. At the age of 75 she put aside her hand tools and crafts and learned the Windows operating system, keeping in touch with her loved ones and acquaintances via e-mail. She also used her new skills to publish two volumes of poetry and produce a monthly stream of birthday and anniversary cards.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Sipe; her step-daughter, Kathryn Hawkins; two brothers Hartvig and Philip Sandbeck; four sisters, Dagny Smorstad, Cora Krumme, Arla Stuckman, and Sophie Kubitz.

She is survived by her sons, Curt Seiple of Long Beach and Frank and his wife Patricia Gomez of San Luis Obispo, Calif.; a step-daughter, Marjorie Todd of Westminster; a sister, Ethel Kvammen of Decorah; four grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; and nine great-great-grandchildren.

Waukon Standard, June 28, 2006