Helen Rebecca Peterson, 99, formerly of Garner and Clear Lake, IA, passed away peacefully surrounded by family on Saturday October 29, 2022, at the IOOF Home, Mason City, IA.
Visitation will be held from 9:00am to 11:00am on Saturday, November 5, 2022 at Ward-Van Slyke Colonial Chapel, 310 1st Ave N, Clear Lake, IA.
A Memorial Service will begin at 11:00am Saturday, November 5, 2022 at Ward-Van Slyke Colonial Chapel, 310 1st Ave N, Clear Lake, IA. The Graveside service will follow at Memorial Park Cemetery, 11495 265th, Mason City, IA.
Time for fellowship will be held following the burial at Ward-Van Slyke Colonial Chapel, 310 1st Ave N, Clear Lake, IA.
Memorials may be directed to the family for a permanent outdoor memorial bench in Helen’s honor at the IOOF Home.
Helen was born July 18, 1923, the daughter of Sam and Irene (Bower) Farrow of rural Clear Lake. She graduated from Clear Lake High School.
On April 20, 1941, she married Wilbur Peterson in Albert Lea, MN. Together the couple raised four girls in rural Ventura. Helen spent a majority of her time being a devoted farm wife, and mother who was always concerned about the well-being of others before herself. Growing up through the depression she learned early of the rewards of hard work. When the girls where young, Helen worked as a patient care assistant to help supplement the family’s income. She was an awesome seamstress making most of the girl’s clothes. After moving off the farm, Helen kept busy working with special needs children and custodial work with the Garner School District. Helen took a lot of pride in being a loving wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and great great-grandmother. She cherished any amount of time that she got to spend with her family. In their younger years as a couple, they enjoyed the live music scene at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, IA. In retirement, Wilbur and Helen spent time together gardening, site seeing via bus tours and volunteering in their beloved community of Garner. In 1998, they were recognized for their volunteer work with the Garner Area Education Center and in 1999, were named an Outstanding Citizens.
They also spent many hours traveling to attend their grandchildren’s activities. Faith was an important foundation of Helen’s life; she was a dedicated member of Faith Lutheran Church in Miller, IA where she rarely missed a weekly worship, was an active member of the Women’s group sewing quilts for those in need worldwide and using her gifts in cooking and baking to lift the spirits of others in need. In her family’s eyes, Helen was a great cook and baker who enjoyed hosting large gatherings and making sure everyone had plenty to eat Helen also enjoyed playing cards, with 500 becoming her card game of choice in her later years during weekly visits with family and during her time with others at IOOF who became extended family members to her in the time she lived there. She was an Iowa Hawkeyes fan who had an opinion when the game wasn’t going in the Hawkeyes favor. Her lifelong enjoyment of music remained on display in her final days as she was able to sing some of her favorite hymns less than a week before she died.
Those left to cherish her memory are her daughter’s, Linda Raymond of Indianola, IA, Donna (Gary) Boyd of Owatonna, MN, Amy (Wayne) Peterson-Pralle of Latimer, IA, and Rebecca Lamana of Walker, LA; grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great great-grandchildren, Candi (Mike) Christensen, Zach (Brittney) Christensen and their children, Tucker and Bentley, Ethan Christensen (Amanda Lor), Shane (Jen) Boyd, Shannon (Brian) Blatti, and their children Jacob & Anna, Stacy (Todd) Sparks, Collin (Kasey) Peterson and their children Graham, Bennett and Crew, Nathan (Yolanda) Pralle, and their children Keston & Macaean , Katy (Tyler) Flint and their children Riley & Maguire, Ashlee (Joey) Bishop and their children Brody, Aubree and Harper, Mandi (Colby) Waters and their son, Jacobi Jody (Charlie) Villneuve and their children Karliegh & Braxton, Don (Joseph) Lamana, and Kylie; as well as numerous other extended family members and friends.
Helen is preceded in death by her husband, Wilbur, son-in-law, Jeffrey Raymond Sr., son-in law Donald Lamana, grandson, Jeffrey Raymond Jr, her parents Sam and Irene, and siblings, Lynn, Leona, Louise, Dorothy, Bob, Jay, Donald and Maxine.
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