WILKIN, Helen L. 1938-2000

ATKINSON, SMITH, WILKIN, SCOTT, COWDEN, REMKE, RUSSELL

Posted By: IA GenWeb Volunteer
Date: 10/8/2010 at 08:18:59

Decorah Journal, Thursday, July 6, 2000

Helen L. Wilkin

Helen L. Wilkin, 62, of Decorah, died Monday, July 3, 2000, at the Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center in La Crosse, Wis., following an apparent heart attack.

Funeral services will be held Friday, July 7, at 10 a.m., at the First United Methodist Church in Decorah, with the Rev. James Dale officiating.

The Rev. Kristen Kvamme will be the organist. Joan Schissel will sing "Hymn of Promise" and "On Eagle's Wings." The congregation will sing "Amazing Grace."

Casket bearers will be Randy Cowden, Aaron Johnson, David Remke, Charles Russell, Joe Russell, Chris Spry, Jeremy Tollefson and Derrick Wilkin.

Honorary bearers will be Kenneth H. Galloway and Troy Roseland.

Burial will take place Friday at 3:30 p.m., at the Lindwood Park Cemetery in Boone. The Fjelstul Funeral Home is handling arrangements.

Visitation will be held Thursday, July 6, from 5:30-8 p.m., at the Fjelstul Funeral Home and Friday, July 7, after 9 a.m., at the church.

Helen (Smith) Wilkin was born March 2, 1938, in Oshkosh, Wis., the daughter of Howard C. and Opal I. (Atkinson) Smith.

She graduated from Decorah High School and then graduated from Rochester (Minn.) Vocational School of Nursing, affiliated with St. Mary's Hospital.

After graduating from nursing school, Helen moved to Honolulu, Hawaii, San Antonio, Texas, and Kansas City, Mo., where she worked in hospitals. Then she was a nurse in the coronary care unit at Winneshiek County. Since August of 1990 she had been a nurse at the Aase Haugen Home in Decorah.

The last four years she cared for her mother, Opal Smith, who died Dec. 31, 1999.

Helen was active with and served as a leader in Girl Scouts. A member of First United Methodist Church, she was active in the Ulster Project and Vacation Bible School.

She really enjoyed her grandchildren. Hobbies included sewing, cross-stitching, knitting, crafts and reading.

Survivors include three daughters, one son, 13 grandchildren and one great-granddaughter: Tonya Scott of Decorah and children Amber and Ana; Kecia and Randy Cowden of Grimes and children Jason, Joshua, Dustin, Ethan and Dylan; Melody and David Remke of Decorah, their son Aaron and wife Lisa, and their daughter, Hailey; and Derrick and Dawn Wilkin of San Antonio, Texas and child Devin.

Also surviving are one brother, Howard and Linda Smith, Jr. of Cedar Rapids; one sister, Judy and Joe Russell of Cottage Grove, Wis.; and one sister-in-law, Dianne Smith of Marion,

Helen Wilkin was preceded in death by her parents and one brother, Wayne Smith, who died in October of 1994.

Transcribed by an IA GenWeb Volunteer from obituaries found in the Howard-Winneshiek Genealogy Society Library, Cresco, Iowa.