With great sadness we announce the sudden passing of our mother, grandmother and great-grandmother Helen at the age of 86 years.
Helen was born to Margaret and Peter Schmidt on their farm near Revenue, Saskatchewan, the second youngest of ten children. She completed her schooling in Revenue, then moved to the town of Unity with her parents when they retired and left the farm. It was in Unity where she worked as a telephone operator that she met her future husband Paul, who worked at the Bank of Commerce there. They married in August 1957.
Over the next 30 years Helen embraced her role as the “banker’s wife” in the various Saskatchewan towns Paul’s work led them to. In Prince Albert they welcomed their first daughter, Norine, and in Blaine Lake, a second daughter, Cheryl. They also spent many happy years in the communities of Rouleau, Redvers and Kindersley, playing an active part in the community and making lifelong friendships in every stop. No matter where they were, Helen and Paul always remained close to their siblings and their large extended family.
Helen enjoyed a long and happy retirement with Paul spending summers at their home in Kenosee Lake and wintering in Arizona. Golf became a passion for Helen and she often played 5 mornings a week in the summer months. She was a loving grandmother to her 4 grandsons, baking untold batches of cookies and tarts for her boys. Helen loved to socialize and was happiest when gathering with family and friends for “happy hour”, a barbeque, and a game of cards.
Helen moved to East St Paul, Manitoba in 2012 to be closer to family during her husband’s final illness. She missed Paul greatly after he passed away in 2013, but she was determined to live out her final years as independently as she could. While not able to venture too far from home in recent years, she still enjoyed connecting with friends and family by phone, and cheering on her favourite curlers and golfers on TV.
Helen’s feisty spirit will be missed by all who knew her.
Helen is survived by daughters Norine (Quentin) Harty and Cheryl (Dave) Storrow; grandsons Paul and Jeremy Harty, and Jonathan and Luke Storrow; two great-grandchildren Emma and Carter Harty; and siblings Lena (Tony(deceased)) Bosch, Vera (Frank (deceased)) Bosch, Eva (Fred (deceased)) Keller and Bart (Doris (deceased)) Schmidt. She is predeceased by her beloved husband Paul, and her siblings Peter, Frank and John Schmidt, and Carrie and Mary Yochim.
A memorial service will be held at a later date once public health restrictions have been lifted. Expressions of sympathy may be left at arbormemorial.ca.
