Obituary for Darlene Irene Heltemes Darlene Irene (Danzl) Heltemes and husband Donald Joseph Heltemes went to the Lord just 5 days apart after 63 years of marriage. Darlene (b. 7/11/1935) passed away on August 30 followed by Donald (b.
9/26/1932) on September 4. Don and Darlene, as they were known, were born and raised in St. Cloud, Minnesota. The couple was introduced by friends in 1954 while Don was in the United States Air Force.
They were married on June 4, 1955 in St. Cloud and settled in the Twin Cities while Don worked on his Electrical Engineering degree at the University of Minnesota. Upon graduation in June 1960, Don embarked on a 30 year career at Northern States Power Co. in Minneapolis. The couple settled in Coon Rapids, Minnesota and raised 4 children.
Don and Darlene were charter members of The Church of the Epiphany Catholic Church in Coon Rapids where they helped form a discussion group with other members and with whom they remained lifelong friends. While living in Coon Rapids, Don and Darlene were also members of the Jaycees and enjoyed entertaining friends, camping with their children and many other activities together. Don was an avid hunter and fisherman and spent many years making homemade wine.
Darlene enjoyed gardening, antique furniture restoration, and sewing. Upon retiring from NSP in 1990, Don and Darlene built their dream home on Trout Lake in Bovey, Minnesota just outside of Grand Rapids. For the next 26 years the couple lived the good life up in God’s Country.
They met new people and became active members in their new church, Mary Immaculate Catholic Church in Coleraine, MN. They enjoyed many activities including curling, snowmobiling, ice fishing, boating, and being members of the Itasca Vintage Car Club with whom they drove around in their 1953 Oldsmobile 88 Rocket. Don’s love of fishing led him to become involved in the Trout Lake Association and eventually he became known as the local Trout Lake expert and was often asked “where are the fish biting?
” Don and Darlene loved to entertain family and friends and hosted the annual Labor Day Booja Weekend, which became a tradition for nearly 25 years. Darlene Heltemes was preceded in death by her parents Bernard and Veronica Danzl, sisters Laverne and Mary Kay, brothers Bob, Jim, and Leo, brothers-in-law Maurie (Laverne) Schille, George (LaDonna) Reisdorf, and Ron (Mary Kay) Blair, sister-in-law Darryl (Jim) Danzl, niece Cathie, and nephew Mark. Donald Heltemes was preceded in death by his parents Nicholas and Rose Heltemes, sister Delores Engebretson, brothers Alfred, Eugene, and Nicholas, and brother-in-law George (Delores) Engebretson.
Don and Darlene are survived by daughters Donna Lund, Debra (Jeff) Good, Dayna (Gary) Foster, son David (Valerie), grandchildren Zachary (Clarissa) Lund, Marisa (Sara) Foster, Chelsea (Krishna) Bharani, Alicia (Justin) Featherstone, Ben (Maggie) Lund, Amanda (Tylor) Auen, Dustin and Baylee Foster, and great-grandchildren, Sydney and Seriana Featherstone, Claudia and Felix Lund, and Kai Foster. They are also survived by Darlene’s sister LaDonna Reisdorf, sisters-in-law Jeannie (Eugene) Heltemes, Barb (Nicholas) Heltemes and LaVonne (Bob) Danzl, brother-in-law Mel (Mary Kay) Conrad and many friends and relatives. The Heltemes family would like to express our sincere gratitude and appreciation to the wonderful staff at Waverly Gardens in North Oaks for the excellent care they provided to Don and Darlene.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to The Minnesota Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association or Sharing and Caring Hands, Minneapolis. Funeral mass to be held Friday, October 19, 2018 at The Church of the Epiphany, 1900 111th Ave NW, Coon Rapids, MN 55433. Service at 10:30 AM with visitation one hour prior.
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