Helen Louise Hall

Helen Louise Hall, 87, of Fort Dodge, died Saturday, April 12, 2014, at the Simpson Health Center. Services will be 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 16, at St. Paul Lutheran Church with the Rev. Nathan Peitsch presiding. Burial will be in North Lawn Cemetery. Visitation will be from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, April 15, at Gunderson Funeral Home and Cremation Services. Helen is survived by her children, Fred (Sharon) Hall, Georgetown, Tex.; Melodee Hall Blobaum, Lenexa, Kan.; and three grandchildren, Conor Hall, Andrew Blobaum and Cameron Hall. She was preceded in death by her husband, parents and two brothers, Harold Bothe and Richard Bothe. Helen Louise Bothe was born April 6, 1927, in Fort Dodge, Iowa, to Elsa and Herbert Bothe. She grew up on the family's dairy farm near Fort Dodge, and attended St. Paul Lutheran School where she was a member of the school's first kindergarten class. She was active in 4-H, holding a variety of offices at the county level. She graduated from Fort Dodge Senior High School in 1945. Before marriage, she worked at Vic and Van Bookkeeping Services and helped on the farm, most notably making the transition from a driving a pair of Belgian horses to dri...[more]

View Full Online Obituary and Tributes

g a tractor for farm work. Her tractor driving skills were legendary. Helen was married to Paul Garland Hall on April 23, 1955. They lived in Redwood Falls, Minn., moving to Fort Dodge in 1957. A natural and gifted caregiver, Helen cared for her mother until her mother's death in 1963. She was a bookkeeper for Vic and Van Bookkeeping Service, Quality Plus Accountants, and Sanofi Animal Health until her retirement in 1992. She also was involved in Hall-Marc Enterprises for many years. Helen was a lifetime member of St. Paul Lutheran Church. She taught Bethel Bible Series classes when the program was introduced at the church in the 1960s, as well as teaching Sunday School and serving as an active member of the Ladies Aid and Altar Guild. Most recently, she was an active volunteer with the church's Mission House and quilter's group. An avid seamstress and needlewoman, Helen for years sewed most of her own clothing as well as that of her daughter, and instilled a love of sewing in her daughter. She pieced quilts for many members of her family, and crocheted afghans for her children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews and great-nieces and nephews. Her giving spirit continued into other volunteer activities. Helen was the secretary-treasurer of the Iowa Holstein Association for many years, and helped plan the Holstein-Friesian Association national convention when it was held in Iowa in 1972. She accrued thousands of hours as a volunteer at Trinity Regional Hospital in Fort Dodge, and was a volunteer receptionist at Friendship Haven after she and Paul moved to Friendship Haven in 2005. Helen read to dementia patients in Friendship Haven's Health Center each week for many years, and was a volunteer Sunday morning reader for the Iowa Radio Reading Information Service (IRIS) for more than 20 years. In her spare time, she lovingly cared for Paul until his death on March 29, 2014. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the St. Paul Lutheran Church Building Fund.