Helen Louise HOLT

HOLT, BLOMGREN, CHATMAN

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 9/6/2008 at 11:08:10

Des Moines Register, Iowa
January 29, 2006

HELEN LOUISE HOLT, 89, a resident of Calvin Community, passed away January 26, 2006 at Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines. Funeral services will be held 10 a.m. Tuesday, January 31 at Grand View Lutheran Church with burial following at Glendale Cemetery. Helen Louise Holt was born on August 4, 1916, at Iowa Lutheran Hospital in Des Moines, Iowa. Her parents were Martin and Hannah Holt. Both parents were of Swedish decent. She was the only child born of this union. Helen lived in Renwick, Iowa, from 1916 to 1922. Her father ran a hardware store there and was known as M J Holt, The Hardware Man. They then lived in Prairie City, Iowa for a few months and then moved to Lindsborg, Kansas for a few months in 1922 and 1923. They then moved to Charles City, Iowa in 1923 and lived there until 1932. In 1932, they moved to Stratford, Iowa. Helen graduated from Stratford High School in 1934. After graduation, she spent the summer in California caring for an invalid aunt. In the fall, she moved to Lindsborg, Kansas to attend Bethany College. She graduated from Bethany College summa cum laude in 1938 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree with a double major in English and History. After graduation she moved to Des Moines where she went to work at the City Library. In 1939, she accepted the position as Librarian at the High School in Creston. She also taught History. She held this position for two years. In 1941, she accepted the position as Librarian at the High School in Ames where she also taught American History. She held this position for three years. Helen attended the University of Illinois in the summer months of 1941 to 1944 to obtain a degree in Library Science. She graduated with honors. In 1944, she accepted the position as Librarian at Lincoln High School in Des Moines where she also monitored the Study Hall. She remained at Lincoln High School until her retirement in 1981.

Helen was a member of Grand View Lutheran Church where she was active in various church activities including her circle. She was a member of the Des Moines Women's Club, The National Retired Teachers Association, Delta Kappa Gamma, The Library Club, Quota International, The Wild Rose Chapter of the Questers, and KO Chapter of P.E.O.
Helen always enjoyed traveling. While she was still working, she traveled extensively in the United States, Mexico and Canada. In her retirement years, she traveled to Europe, Alaska, Australia, New Zealand, Africa and South America. Her two favorite places in Europe were the British Isles and Sweden, the home of her ancestors.

Helen wrote her first poem in 1922 when she was 6 years old. She has written poems to celebrate important events in many of her friends' lives, such as retirements, birthdays and wedding anniversary celebrations. Friends and relatives have always been very important to her. Her poem "I Am Not a Child of Our Times" was chosen for publication in The English Journal in 1979. Over 2,500 poems were submitted in the competition and only fifty were chosen to be published. In 1981, her poem, "Ode to Retirement" placed third in the Iowa Poetry Day Association in the Light Verse Contest.

She is survived by her first cousin, Everett Blomgren of Pengilly, Minnesota. She was preceded in death by her parents; and her dear friend, George E. Chatman. A visitation will be held on Monday, January 30 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Iles Funeral Homes, Westover Chapel. Memorial contributions may be made to Grand View Lutheran Church.