Helen Laier

Helen Laier was born on June 2, 1920 in Minnesota to Earl and Hazel Palmer. She had two younger sisters, Mary and Phyllis, who live in Minnesota. She grew up in the small town of St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin and attended the town’s high school where she met Arlin Laier. They were married on January 10, 1942 in Rolla, Missouri when Arlin was in the Army. They moved to Washington State in 1949 when Arlin was offered an engineering position at the Boeing Company. They were members of Glendale Lutheran Church in Burien for 60 plus years and married for over 65 years. Helen was a homemaker and she and Arlin raised five children; Bruce, Dennis, Brian, Nancy and Connie. They had ten grandchildren and when Helen passed away, she had eight great grandchildren, the latest being a set of triplet boys that were born on her 91st birthday, June 2nd 2011.

Helen was an avid golfer and was able to enjoy a lot of it with Arlin after he retired from Boeing at the age of 62. Her son, Brian, even took her to play at the age of 90. After Arlin passed away at the age of 87 in June of 2007, Helen continued to live in their home in Federal Way until it became too much for her to handle on her own. She made the decision to move into Foundation House in December of 2009. She met so many nice friends there and was quite content in her studio apartment. She was well liked because of her positive, cheerful attitude and her kindness to and compassion for others. She suffered through a number of medical conditions and lived with a lot of pain the last few years but continued to do whatever she could on her own and accept the way things were. She was an inspiration to her family and friends.

She entered the Brookdale Senior Living and Jeremy Bloom’s Wish of a Lifetime, a nonprofit organization dedicated to granting life enriching wishes to older Americans. Helen’s wish was to meet Fred Couples, a pro golfer whose career she and Arlin had followed and admired for years. Low and behold she won the contest and was so excited. She met Fred on August 25, 2011 at the Boeing Classic Pro-Am tour at Snoqualmie Ridge golf course. Her son, Brian, and daughter, Nancy, were able to join her that day. After meeting and chatting with Fred, they were able to ride along beside him in a golf cart right on the fairway and see him play a few holes. It was a special and truly exciting day for Helen and awesome for her children as well.

Helen’s faith in God and love for her family were the most important things in her life and what she held most dear. She passed away peacefully on December 15, 2011. She will be deeply missed by her family and friends but what a blessing it has been to have had her in our lives for so many years.

She lived a long and happy life on earth and is now in her eternal home in heaven with our Dear Lord, her beloved husband, Arlin, and the family and friends who have gone before her. May she forever rest in peace.