Helen Kellen

Helen Kellen, 90 years old of Alton Iowa died Tuesday, November 24, 2009 at Rose Blumkin Home in Omaha, NE.
    Funeral services will be at 9:30 am, Saturday November 28, 2009, at St Mary’s Catholic Church in Alton with the Rev Paul Eisele and Rev James Tigges officiating.  Burial will be in the St Mary’s Catholic Cemetery in Alton.  Friends may call anytime after 4 pm on Friday, November 27, 2009.  There will be a parish rosary at 5 pm and vigil prayer service at 7:30 pm, all at the St Mary’s Catholic School Gymnasium in Alton. 
    Helen was born March 18, 1919 in rural Alton, IA, the daughter of Nicholas & Mathilda (Kellen) Henrich.  Helen was raised in the Alton area and received her education at St Mary’s Academy in Alton, graduating in 1936.  She was then employed by West Iowa Telephone Company at their Alton office as an operator.  In 1941, she moved to the San Francisco, California area where she was employed in the post exchange at Fort Winfield Scott.
    On August 14, 1943 she married Victor Kellen in Alton.  They made their home in San Francisco, CA.  In June 1944, Victor left for overseas duty in the military during which time Helen remained in San Francisco.  After Victor’s discharge in January 1946, they moved to Remsen, IA.  In the spring of 1951, they moved to a farm near Alton where they operated a dairy farm until retiring and moving into Alton in November 1978.  Victor died June 28, 1988.
    While in Alton, Helen was an active member of St Mary’s Catholic Church, St Mary’s Church Guild, St Mary’s Rosary Society, and served on many committees and functions of these organizations.  She was also a member of the American Legion Auxillary.
    Survivors include 5 daughters: Mary Kay Quinlan, Sandra Walton & her husband Rod, all of Wheaton IL, Linda Hansen & her husband David of Spirit Lake IA, Kathy Wonder and her husband John of Papillion NE and Marge Hasenwinkel of Lake of the Ozarks, MO; 2 sons: Donald Kellen & his wife Faye of Spirit Lake IA, and Dale Kellen & his wife Christy of Princeton MO; 22 grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren, 3 sisters-in-law (Kate Henrich of Kingsley IA, Marie Kellen of Remsen IA, and LaVonne Kellen of College Station TX) and numerous nieces and nephews.
    Helen was preceded in death by her parents, two brothers (Leo and Francis Henrich) and one sister (Anita Stine).
    Pallbearers will be grandchildren.
    Among the many memories left to the children and grandchildren will be Grandma’s Santa Claus cookies, sugar cookies, Root beer floats, crossword puzzles, word finds, and the never empty candy dish.  The joys of Helen’s flower beds still bloom in various gardens in Illinois, Nebraska, Missouri and Iowa.