Helen Arlene Kurth

How do we describe Helen? Articulate, playful, deeply spiritual, caring and prayerful, loving... A second-generation Oregonian, she was born a half block from where she worked for 45 years, and she contributed tirelessly to her church community and family.

Born January 3, 1938 to Charles Leonard Lewis and Bernice Luella (Dodd) Lewis, Helen grew up in Salem, Oregon nurtured by her mother and several aunts—her father having died suddenly when Helen was 6 weeks old. Nurture also came from her church community at Court Street Christian where her mother and an aunt attended, so Helen was indeed raised by the “community”. Visits to family farms helped enrich her town experience, and Helen developed a love of animals—especially jersey cows and dogs.

In school, she sang! Operettas were Helen’s performance choice, though she had taken piano lessons for years. Providing entertainment and joy through music was essential to Helen—and every family member has been taught and asked to perform at various times “Bushel and a Peck” from Guys and Dolls!

While attending a church-league basketball game in high school Helen spotted a tall, handsome player on the rival team! A friend later “arranged” for him to take her home—thus began a 63-year relationship with Louis Edward Kurth, Jr. She graduated from North Salem High School in 1955, and after attending business school for a year Helen married Louis December 1, 1956. They were joined by daughters Carole and Melinda, and while awaiting the latter’s arrival, they built a beautiful home in South Salem—which was burnt to the ground. Helen and Louis diligently started over and moved in the following year, 1962.

As children grew, Helen began to work outside the home: a year at IBM, a year at McKinley Elementary School, and then in 1970 she was asked to fill in at Court Street Christian Church “for a couple of weeks” as church secretary. She retired from her work there in 2015—45 years later! Managing a church office can be very complex: Helen wrote newsletters, scheduled appointments, answered phones, created graphic layouts with an exacto knife and a light box, solved problems, waved at children at the daycare center, helped “raise” young pastors. She was persistent, always putting in the hard work necessary to make sure things were “just right”. She was also a dedicated organist. Every Sunday her fingers and toes would fly over keys and pedals, and if you were very lucky she would let you pull a stop and listen to the chime or trumpet sounds the organ made.

Because of Helen’s deep faith life she was asked to serve on the board for the Oasis Women’s Conference, which she did for 10 years. Her creative ideas were greatly valued, and this led to speaking engagements and other ways for Helen to share her faith.

Her other joys? Being at the Oregon coast, anything involving time with Louis, time with family, Bible study, chocolate, ice cream, traveling (she actually drove in Italy!), and butterflies—which were an important reminder of resurrection after Helen survived an aneurysm in 1982.

Passing peacefully October 19, 2024, she will be greatly missed. Even through recent health issues Helen has been a light and an encouragement to those around her. Gracious and kind, her qualities carry her into eternity. She is survived by her daughters Carole Kurth and Melinda Strobel (Brett), grandchildren Caitlin Kennedy (Evan), Colin Strobel and Peter Strobel, and great-grandchildren Madison and Hudson. She is predeceased by her husband, Louis.

A Celebration of Life will be held 1 p.m. Saturday, November 16, 2024 at Court Street Christian Church, Salem, Oregon, with internment at Belcrest Memorial Park at 4 p.m. Visitation is from 2-5 p.m. on Friday, November 15, 2024 at Virgil T. Golden Funeral Service. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Court Street Christian Church. Well done, good-and-faithful Helen!