Helen was born on April 10, 1928 at home, on a farm in Atchison County, Missouri where they raised draft horses. The only daughter with four older brothers, Willard, Roger, Raymond and Richard, she was the apple of her father’s eye. She left the farm as a young woman to attend the American Institute of Business where she trained to be a secretary. Soon after, she married a young Jack Nicholson. Together they built a house (the same home they lived in during their nearly 70 years of marriage) where they raised two children, Kathy and Steve. She was an infinite source of pride, strength, and generosity to her family.
To brag about her many achievements would not be in her character, so we, her family, have a few things to say in honor of her lasting impact on so many lives. Helen was a devoted wife, loving mother, doting grandma and loyal friend. A fierce enemy of invasive squirrels, she was known to catch, cage and transport them to the old Dahl’s store. She was a meticulous grounds keeper and neighborhood caregiver. Having more than a green thumb she was a grower of all things green, a yard/plant sale aficionado, as well as a gifted negotiator. Helen and her husband Jack were proud members of the “Mickey Mouse Club;” a self-titled group of brave volunteers who accompanied their children on the Valley High band trip to Walt Disney World. If the sun was up, she was too. She was also a faithful volunteer at the West Des Moines United Methodist Church, as well as the Jordan House. Always hard working and meticulous, you could not please her, but she would never get angry. She would simply re-do it herself. Helen was a reluctant good cook, a giver of gifts with notes, a bargain hunter and free meal finder. A child of the depression, she reused anything and everything, keeping bits of aluminum foil and old peanut butter jars everywhere. She was stubborn and sometimes a not so quiet “force of nature.” We love you. We remember you and we look forward to celebrating your life at a later time.
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