Helen Jolene Wischhof

She was born Helen Jolene Pace on April 13, 1936 in Yuma. During her early teens, she lived with an aunt in Roswell, New Mexico and finished high school there.

While still a teenager in Roswell Jolene met a handsome airman in church. She married that airman, Don Wischhof, in 1953 and has been his Princess ever since. To their union was born a son, Dan, in Roswell. Diane came two years later, after they had moved to Omaha, Nebraska.

She proved her undying love by moving with Don to northern Nebraska, where he had been raised. From there they went to Omaha, where he served as a state trooper, and then to northwest Iowa. She worked as an assistant to a doctor and a podiatrist, and a deputy circuit court clerk.

After 18 years in the frozen wilderness the children had graduated, and Jolene and Don followed their dreams and moved to Tucson, where they have lived for over 46 years. For most of those years, they lived in their dream home; they designed it themselves, and enjoyed expansive views of the mountains.

Jolene and Don opened the Camino Seco Express travel agencies when they first came to Tucson. After their “first retirement”, she went to work as an agent for Quantas Airlines. She traveled several times to Europe and Australia, but Tucson was always home.

Everyone who ever knew Jolene knew how she loved Jesus. She taught Sunday school from her early 20’s, led women’s groups, worked in the nursery, and was active in Stephen ministry. She and Don have been in the same community group at Christ Community for 40 years.

Jolene is survived by her husband of 71 years, Don, her children Daniel Wischhof [Tina] and Diane Greene, her sister Judy Beauchamp [Glenn], grandchildren Cynthia Palmer, Angelica Greene, Nicholas Ferrell [Rachel], Katie Ladner [William], Lauren Ferrell, and seven great-grandsons. She was preceded in death by her parents, her brother, and her grandson Nic VanSickle.