Bonnie Jean Helms (1942-2018)

HELMS, WILDT, TICHENOR

Posted By: Ken Wright (email)
Date: 4/16/2018 at 13:27:38

Obituary for Bonnie Jean Helms
Bonnie Jean Helms, 75, of Bellevue passed away on Wednesday, April 4, 2018, at her home, surrounded by her family.

A celebration of Bonnie’s life will be with a funeral service at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, April 10, at Hachmann Funeral Home & Cremation Service in Bellevue. A visitation will be from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. on Monday, April 9, also at the funeral home.

Bonnie was born to Thomas Lee and Minnie Marie (Wildt) Tichenor in Evansville, Indiana on September 3, 1942. She grew up in Boonville, Indiana and graduated from Boonville High School. Bonnie married Don Helms on September 10, 1961. They moved to Swisher, Iowa in 1964. In 1966, they moved to Bellevue, where they raised four children.

Bonnie was in the medical profession all of her life. She started as an x-ray technician as a teenager. After she was married, she worked in the obstetrics department of Holden Hospital in Carbondale, IL caring for newborns. For 27 years she worked at Mill Valley Care Center in Bellevue as a CNA and later a CMA until she retired in 2008. In addition, she was a Tupperware dealer for 5 years from 1977-1981. In 1981, she opened a consignment store in Bellevue called the Relay Mart. She operated it until 1995.

Bonnie was a constant companion and friend to her husband of 56 years, Don. One of their favorite past times that started even before they were married and continued until just recently was to go for drives. Bonnie loved going to Big Mill to keep track of the swans and to Green Island to see sand hill cranes and geese, especially in the spring when there were little ones. Along the way they would look for eagle nests, watercress, and flowers. Bonnie loved flowers. She was very proud of her African violets and orchids. She also appreciated the abundance of wildflowers that Don would shower her with from their yard.

Bonnie was an avid crafter. One of her favorites was making blankets including cross-stitch, hairpin lace afghans, rag blankets, and block quilts. After she retired from Mill Valley, she used her uniform tops as the material for 5 different queen-sized quilts. She was also a perfectionist. If she found even the slightest mistake, she would rip out the progress and start over. She made sure all of the crosses went the same direction in every cross-stitch project.

Other favorite past times included seek-n-find puzzles, BINGO, and playing the slots. She loved pecans and other nuts and could sit for hours picking them out of their shells. Bonnie was an avid collector of Precious Moments figurines. She was a 50-year member of the Order of the Eastern Star. Bonnie always thought of others and made sure their needs were met. She will be missed by many!
Bonnie is survived by her husband, Don Helms, of Bellevue; four children, Scott (Reena Winkowski) Helms, of Bellevue, Jane (Walter) Wickham, of Maquoketa, Lisa Dague, of Urbandale, Iowa and Susan (Daryl) Hankemeier, of Bellevue; 13 grandchildren, Wesley and Jacqueline Helms; David, Daniel, Nicholas, Emily, and Olivia Wickham; Marie (Helms) Kimmes and Steven Dague; Sara, Anna, Erin, and Kyle Hankemeier; and 4 great grandchildren, Brayden, Parker, and Evelyn Kimmes; and Bentley Kress.

Bonnie is preceded in death by her parents and her aunt, Pearl Ann (Wildt) Gough.

To send flowers or a remembrance gift to the family of Bonnie Jean Helms, please visit our Tribute Store. Hachmann Funeral Home, Bellevue, Iowa.