Helen was born on April 4, 1926 to Frank and Emma Kahny (nee Kolterman) in Pierce Nebraska. She was the middle daughter of three children having an older brother Eldon who later married Emily Kerkman and a younger sister Dyann who later married Dick Alexander. Her father was a farmer and worked hard to be successful on the family farm. Success in farming eluded the family and the farm had to be sold by auction. The family put all of their belongings in an Essex pulling a homemade trailer and headed west. The family stopped briefly in Eden Idaho but then continued on to settle in Springfield Oregon. Frank worked as a carpenter to support the family. It was important to Helen's parents to settle near a Lutheran church to let Helen complete her confirmation classes and join the church. Helen was confirmed at Grace Lutheran Church in Eugene and then graduated from Springfield High School. The family moved north to the Gresham area and joined Immanuel Lutheran Church in Sandy Oregon. WWII was approaching and Helen went to work in the shipyards. Although they did not meet yet, a welder working in the shipyards named Rod Binger soon entered the Army Air Corps and was deployed to Italy. After the war Helen worked at the Penney's store in Gresham and was active in the Walther League at church. She caught the attention of a young man named Rod Binger while working at Penney’s. He also knew her at Walther League and although he was somewhat shy made many efforts to meet and know her. Rod's efforts were successful and they married on November 7, 1948 in Immanuel Lutheran Church in Sandy. The young couple set up their home in McMinnville Oregon. Rod assembled a saw mill, drove log trucks and later serviced cars at the Lincoln-Mercury dealership to support his wife. On May 22, 1951 Helen gave birth to Steven Binger their only child. Rod took a correspondence course in electronics and applied for work at Tektronix in Beaverton Oregon. Between first and second grade for Steven in 1958 the family moved to Garden Home between Beaverton and Portland. The family joined Pilgrim Lutheran Church in Beaverton. They remained very active in the church as the congregation outgrew a small white church building and finally moved to the larger brick building that exists today. They would remain in their house on Rambler Lane for 60 years until the summer of 2018. During these years Helen worked in the office of Clarks Women's Dress Shop in Beaverton. Later on she worked in the offices of Deluxe Check Printers. Steven was confirmed at Pilgrim Lutheran Church, graduated from college, accepted a job at The Boeing Company in Seattle Washington and got married. Both Rod and Helen retired and enjoyed many good times boating, fishing and camping in an RV. As time marched on mobility and health issues became a challenge for the couple. The doctors recommended that they move to a facility for better and consistent support. During the week of the move in early September Helen was taken to Providence hospital by ambulance. She was suffering from congestive heart failure and was assigned to outpatient Hospice. She was able to be released from the hospital on September 8th to join her husband at Edgewood Downs in Beaverton Oregon. Her stay at the new residence with her husband only lasted a few days. Helen passed away peacefully in her sleep early in the morning of September 12.
Helen was a beloved daughter, sister, wife, mother, aunt and grandmother. She was a devoted care giver to her aging parents and other family members. She was grounded in a strong Christian faith throughout her life and now has her crown of glory in heaven with her Savior.
In lieu of flowers, donations in her name to either Hospice or Lutheran Hour would be gratefully appreciated.
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