Helen L. Holmes
Helen Louise Holmes, daughter of Orville and Elizabeth (Hensleigh) Christensen, was born on September 15, 1928 in Northboro, Iowa. She passed away on Tuesday, February 2, 2016 at the Elm Heights Care Center in Shenandoah, Iowa. Helen was born and raised in Northboro. She was baptized at the Methodist Church and graduated from Northboro High School in 1947. She attended Parsons College in Fairfield, receiving her teaching certification. She taught country school at Kramer and Woodlawn (near Bethesda), Valley Township (Sunny Slope School near Villisca). Helen moved to California in August of 1951, and was united in marriage to (Darrell) Gene Holmes from Shenandoah on September 30, 1951 in San Diego, California. They resided in Monterrey, then Coronado, California while Gene was in the Navy. Moving back to Iowa in November of 1954 where she was a homemaker and helped Gene in all aspects of farming. Helen was a Sunday School teacher at St. John's Lutheran for many years, a member of the LCW and also a member of the neighborhood Windy Summit Birthday Club. Helen enjoyed sewing, gardening and canning pickles and beets, tole painting, knitting, candlewicking. Porcelain ...[more]View Full Online Obituary and Tributes
ls, cooking, baking - especially cinnamon rolls and butterhorn rolls. But her most favorite hobby of all was her grandchildren. Helen was preceded in death by her parents, great-grandson Noah Ross Holmes, brother Wesley, sister Marjorie Scharp and sister-in-law Beth (McQueen) Christensen. Helen is survived by her husband of 64 years, Gene, daughter Marla Rae Schmidt and husband David of Lone Rock, Iowa and their son Benjamin of Ames, Iowa, son Darwin Gene Holmes and wife Belinda of Essex, Iowa and their children Laura Brogan and husband Chad of Baytown, Texas, Tyler Holmes and wife Johanna of Katy, Texas and Cliff Holmes and wife Ashle of Essex and their children Brody and Harper. Also her beloved dog, Ranger. Memorials may be directed to St. John's Lutheran Church of Essex or People for PAWS. Burial of cremains will be held at Essex Cemetery in Essex.
