James, Helen A. 1916 - 2006

JAMES, WOOD, KUNS, DUESENBERG, RUFFNER

Posted By: Pat Ludeke (email)
Date: 5/25/2013 at 15:40:48

Helen A. James, 89, of the IOOF Home in Mason City, Iowa, died Wednesday, April
5, 2006 at the Muse Norris Hospice Inpatient Unit in Mason City. Graveside
services were held Friday, April 7, in Forest Hill Cemetery, Canton, S.D.
Memorials may be made to the Helen James Memorial Fund.
Helen was born Oct. 18, 1916, the daughter of Ralph Enoch and Edith Flora
(Kuhns) Wood in Lincoln County, Canton, S.D. She was baptized Nov. 30, 1916 at
the home of her grandparent, H.J. Kuhns, at Worthing, S.D. Helen attended rural
Lincoln County schools and Canton High School.
Helen married Richard Albert James on April 27, 1933 in Sioux Falls, S.D. They
lived in Canton and later moved to Worthington and Luverne, Minn. In 1946 they
moved to Arnolds Park, Iowa where they operated a resort on the south end of
East Okoboji from 1946 to 1950. They then moved to Clear Lake and ran Jimmy's
Food Locker until 1960 when they moved to Bellevue, Neb. Helen ed to Clear Lake
in 2003. Helen loved to knit, crochet, work crossword puzzles and her family was
a great important part of her life. She also was a volunteer at Bellevue Senior
Center.
Helen is survived by two daughters, Lois Marie Duesenberg and her husband, H.
Milton, of Clear Lake and Pat Kaye Ruffner and her husband, Bob, of Bellevue,
Neb.; son-in-law, Paul Hobbs of Bettendorf, Iowa; seven grandchildren, 10
great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild; two sisters-in-law, Eline
Wood of Cumberland, Wis. and Nila Hendriks and her husband, Klaas, of Sioux
Falls, S.D.
She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Richard James; brother,
Donald E. Wood; infant son, Gary A. James; son, Ronald R. James and daughter,
JoAnn Hobbs.
Ward-Van Slyke Colonial Chapel, was in charge of arrangements.