Wally H. Helseth

Wallace (Wally) Howard Helseth was born July 21st 1922 in Westby, Montana to Oscar and Anna Helseth. He was the 5th of 6 children. His father did many things while in Montana from farming to running a wholesale business. Oscar was an accomplished accordion player and along with Edwin, his brother they would play for the local dances. Wally loved listening to them play the Scandinavian tunes, according to him Edwin’s clarinet was the hottest horn around.

Times were tough in Montana and eventually the family moved to Bothell in 1937. Wally always said his Dad could fix or build anything and he built a 5th wheel trailer to move the family west. They were skills that were passed on to Wally.

Wally worked side by side with his dad for many years and learned to value and take pride in his work. When they first moved to the area Wally and his dad cut wood every day to earn enough for his folks to buy a 10 acre place in town.

He graduated from Bothell High School in 1940 in a class of only 45 students but still maintained contact with some other graduates who met regularly with for lunch as members of the Vernon Keener Polo Club. Wally worked for Boeing as a riveter until he was drafted into the Army in 1942. His mother joked that the war would not last long because “Wally never held a job for very long!” He served in the Army Air Corps, (today’s Air Force) he was stationed in Europe for most of his service. He was part of the Air Offensive in Europe including Ardennes, Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland and Central Europe.

Upon his return home in late 1944 he met Mildred Eloise White. Elly says, “He just showed up in my apartment!” she was living with Wally’s sister, Edith at the time. They were married September 21st 1946. They lived for a short while in an apartment in Seattle, but moved to Bothell to be closer to Wally’s work, he was transferred to a Seattle store shortly after that, but Bothell remained their home.

They joined Bothell First Lutheran in 1947, the little church on the hill with the friendly congregation. Wally was a dedicated and active member of Bothell First Lutheran church. After retirement Wally spent many hours at the church helping with whatever needed to be done. For many years he was the one who would get the call when anything needed to be fixed. He could always be relied on to know where in the “dungeon” things could be found.

More recently he took great joy and satisfaction in working with the preschool kids at church and was very proud of the "Mr. Wally" blanket they had made for him. He truly enjoyed helping with the kids, and they loved having “Mr. Wally” around. Field trips to Wally’s house during apple season were a special time.

They started their family in 1947 with the birth of Bruce, followed by the arrival of Darrel in 1949. Not long after Dean arrived in 1956, they decided to move to a bigger house and bought the home they still have today. They have had many wonderful neighbors over the years, some who are still neighbors and others who stop by for a visit. Wally loved the sound of kids out playing in the backyard whether it was his own boys, his grandson or just the neighbor kids.

Wally worked for years for Jensen Price Survey and retired in the early 80’s. After retirement Wally enjoyed the chance to golf more and help friends. He and Elly traveled to Hawaii to visit Marge and Larry, New Zealand to explore and Ocean Shores to pick mushrooms with Jerry.

He especially enjoyed spending time with his grandson Kyle; whether it was hunting golf balls, fixing things, packing pickles or the annual trip to the Monroe fair they always had a great time.

Wally will be remembered for the life long bonds he formed with family, friends and church. He always knew how to make you feel welcome, even if you were meeting for the first time. When he flashed his smile your way you could not help but smile back.

Remembrances can be made to the Bothell First Lutheran Endowment Fund.