Our dear mother, grandmother, wife and friend slipped peacefully from this mortal existence in the early morning of May 18, 2018, of causes incident to age.
A child of the Great Depression, Helen’s childhood was cut short. She quickly learned how to stretch a dollar, to donate what money she could earn to make ends meet.
Many of Helen’s early summers were spent living with her grandmother in Hyrum, Utah. She would help pick the beans and berries for bottling and spent the cool, summer evenings playing night games with cousins.
As she grew older, summers were spent working at Lakota Beach in Bear Lake. She made the most of her time off water skiing and roller skating with friends. From those early beginnings, Bear Lake was always played a significant part in her life.
After graduating from West High School, Helen had hoped to pursue a nursing degree. She was still one of the family’s wages earners, so LDS Business college and a career in secretarial work left her with the ability to still work part-time and pay her tuition.
The “Golden Lining” of getting a secretarial job at General Electric was a handsome young man named Paul who came into General Electric on business one day and met Helen. The rest is history!
Being part of the “Greatest Generation” and being the first year of WWll, it was with special permission that she married Paul R. Hansen on November 20, 1942, at the Base Chapel at Chico Air Force Base. The Base was on alert. But special visitation was allowed to Carl and Annie Hansen and Audrey Boyd who had traveled from Salt Lake City with Helen for the wedding. Paul was then able to obtain a 24 hour pass for a honeymoon.
(Their marriage was later solemnized in the Logan LDS Temple on April 19, 1963. Their two sons, Boyd and Scott were then sealed to them, making them an eternal family.)
As a “war bride,” Helen lived in Chico, CA, where she gave birth to her first son, Boyd. She regularly traveled to the grocery store on her bike, with Boyd in a basket, because of gas rationing. Helen and Boyd moved back to SLC and lived with Paul’s parents while Paul was stationed in Italy as a Air Force instructor for the P-38 aircraft.
During this time, Helen contracted Polio in her throat and had much difficulty speaking and swallowing. With good medical care and lots of faith and prayers, Helen recovered and learned to speak again.
The war was over. A building lot was found in Mount Air Acres and soon another son, Scott, was added to their family.
Helen had many gifts as a wife, mother and as a meticulous house keeper. And as Paul’s business required him to travel a territory for 2 weeks a month, she used many of the talents she learned in her youth to keep the family going.
She was a gifted writer at heart. Many a Roadshow, Mother’s Day program and Relief Society production was written for wards in the Wilford and East Millcreek stakes.
Thoughts that were too deep in her heart to express verbally, were lovingly crafted into special love notes and poems for her family and friends. And she especially loved sharing her thoughts and personal inspiration with her missionary sons.
She also had the gift of humor with some of her poems. Her favorite being, “The Saga of the Poinsettia,” written while working as a Ward Clerk, on the medical floor, of Cottonwood hospital. One Christmas a beautiful poinsettia, decorated their office space. It brought such Christmas cheer, that it sat on it’s shelf way past it’s’ expiration date. When Darla took it home in an effort of rejuvenation, Helen wrote a light-hearted poem for the people she loved at work.
Over the years, she would re-read that poem to anyone who would listen. And when other memories began to fade, “The Saga of the Poinsettia” lingered on.
Helen’s many interests included golf, bowling, snow and water skiing, U. of U. football and basketball, Utah Stars ABA Basketball, playing her Lowry organ with all the bells and whistles, theater performances at the Grand Theatre, travel cruises, playing bridge or any kind of game, belonging to the DUP and enjoying time with their family at their cabin Bear Lake cabin.
Though arthritis crippled her through many years of her marriage, she did her best to take care of her ailing mother while serving her family and friends.
She knew the importance of helping others along life’s path and was selfless in her Christ-like service all the days of her life.
She was a great example of a covenant-keeping woman.
We will miss you, Helen, until we meet again!
