Helen Joan (Latch) NELSON CARROLL

LATCH, NELSON, BARNES, CARROLL, HINRICHSEN, STEELE

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 10/17/2009 at 18:03:15

August 17, 1922 - September 28, 2009

Helen Joan Latch Nelson-Carroll died peacefully and quietly on Monday, Sept. 28, 2009, after a lengthy battle with cancer. She was born in LuVerne Iowa, Aug. 17, 1922, to George Latch and Mary Barnes, the first of three children. Helen went to grammar school and graduated from Renwick High School in 1940. She graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in music and later earned her Masters at the University of Minnesota- Duluth (her thesis has been used as a reference by music teachers everywhere). She was married for almost 50 years to Shelby Nelson and they had one daughter, Mary Lynn. Helen taught music in schools in Iowa and in Duluth, Minn.; she was supervisor of music for the Duluth city schools for a number of years. During her teaching and supervisory years, Helen was a featured speaker at many National Music Educators' conventions, she was elected to the Minnesota Educators Music Hall of Fame and she developed a nationally recognized television program for elementary students. In addition to her educational career, she was an accomplished pianist, a soprano soloist and an outstanding choral director. Helen and Shelby bought land and built a rustic cabin on Murphy Lake northwest of Duluth. Helen and Shelby retired to Green Valley, where Helen immediately became involved in the local music scene, as a member of the Green Valley Chamber Music Society, as director of music at St. Francis-in the Valley Episcopal Church and as director of the Green Valley Community Chorus for many years. A few years after Shelby's death, Helen married Robert Carroll, whom she had met at a Green Valley Community Chorus rehearsal. They had more than 11 years together, filled with music and travel. She is survived by her husband, Bob; her brother, George Keith Latch; her sister, Nancv (Hank) Hinrichsen; her daughter, Mary Lynn Steele; grandsons, David and Brian Steele; and great-grandson Sam Steele; as well as numerous friends and family members. A memorial service and celebration of Helen's life will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 23, at St. Francisin- the-Valley Episcopal Church in Green Valley.

Northwood Anchor, Iowa
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HELEN JOAN LATCH NELSON CARROLL died peacefully and quietly on Monday, Sept. 28, 2009, after a lengthy battle with cancer. She was born in LuVerne Iowa, Aug. 17, 1922, to George Latch and Mary Barnes, the first of three children. Helen went to grammar school and high school in Renwick, Iowa; she graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in music and later earned her Masters at the University of Minnesota-Duluth (this thesis has been used as a reference by music teachers everywhere). She was married for almost 50 years to Shelby Nelson and they had one daughter Mary Lynn. Helen taught music in schools in Iowa and in Duluth, Minn.; she was supervisor of music for the Duluth city schools for a number of years. During her teaching and supervisory years, Helen was a featured speaker at many National Music Educators’ conventions, she was elected to the Minnesota Educators Music Hall of Fame, and she developed a nationally recognized television program for elementary students; she also pioneered combining music and geography into a single course to help students better understand the interrelationship of the two subjects. In addition to her educational career, she was an accomplished pianist, a soprano soloist and an outstanding choral director. Helen and Shelby bought land and built a rustic cabin on Murphy Lake northwest of Duluth, where they spent many happy summers and numerous weekends with friends and family and especially with their grandsons. Helen and Shelby retired to Green Valley where Helen immediately became involved in the local music scene, as a member of the Green Valley Chamber Music Society, as director of music at St. Francis-in-the-Valley Episcopal Church, and as director of the Green Valley Community Chorus for many years. A few years after Shelby’s death, Helen married Robert Carroll, whom she had met at a Green Valley Community Chorus rehearsal; they had more than 11 years together, filled with music and travel.

She is survived by her husband Bob; her brother George Keith Latch; her sister Nancv (Hank) Hinrichsen; her daughter Mary Lynn Steele, grandsons David and Brian Steele; and great-grandson Sam Steele; as well as numerous friends and family members.

A memorial service and celebration of Helen’s life will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 23, 2009, at St. Francis-in-the-Valley Episcopal Church in Green Valley.

Green Valley News, Arizona
October 3, 2009