The Funeral Services for Helen R. Hetzel, age 96 of Lemmon, will be held 10:00 a.m. Friday, March 27, 2009 at Spencer Memorial Presbyterian Church in Lemmon. Pastor Webster Brower will officiate with burial in the Morristown Cemetery.


Special music will be provided by Darrel and Marcia Klitzke.


Serving as casketbearers are Chad, Cody, Dallas, Norman, Edward, and Kortland Hetzel, and John Long. All friends and neighbors are considered honorary bearers.


HELEN R. DREISKE was born December 10, 1912 at Chicago, Illinois to Richard and Clara (Phillippi) Dreiske. The family moved to western Corson County in South Dakota in 1916, where they settled on a homestead south of Keldron in Riverside Township. She attended East Grand Valley and Center Schools. She helped her parents on the farm.


Helen was united in marriage to Lester Edward Hetzel on November 1, 1939 at Lemmon, SD. They began their life together on a place near the Grand River. The Hetzel's purchased the former Ed Hoiland place where they raised their four sons. They continued farming and ranching on the same place for 48 years. In the 1950's, Helen was in the Ground Observer Corp for a few years. Helen loved being a housewife and a mom. She baked and cooked and kept her house "up". After her boys graduated and left home, Helen worked outside with Lester, doing farm work. She said it wasn't hard for her to leave the farm and move to town because it was getting very difficult for them to keep up with things. After settling in town, Helen kept herself busy with the cooking and cleaning, baking, gardening and the normal day to day activities.


Lester and Helen moved into Lemmon in 1987. They celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary on November 1, 2003. Her husband Lester passed away on November 12, 2003, and she continued to live in her home until moving to the HUD apartments in 2004. Since then, she has resided at Five Counties Nursing Home in Lemmon. Helen passed from this life there on Saturday morning, March 21, 2009.


Helen was very involved with her church. When people gathered for worship at the Grand Valley Hall, White Deer or Grand Valley Schools, Helen always played the piano. This was her ministry for over 25 years. Never missing a church service, she was active at Hope and Spencer Memorial Presbyterian Churches, and a lifelong member of PW. Helen was also active in an extension club and was a 4-H Leader. She made numerous quilts and she gave them at weddings, anniversaries, and at special occasions in their lives. She was also a volunteer at the Thrift Shop in Lemmon for many years.


Surviving family members include her 2 sons and 3 daughters-in-law, Bruce and Marjorie Hetzel, Colorado Springs, CO; Glenn Hetzel and special friend, Susan Oswald, Rapid City, SD; Barbara Hetzel, Pheonix, AZ, and Roxanne Hetzel, San Jose, CA; 8 grandchildren, Norman (Carrie), Edward, Chad (Jo), Cody (Sunny), Dallas (Caroline), Connie (John), and Kortland Hetzel, and Rebecca (Jeff) Hadley, and 13 great grandchildren.


Helen was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Lester, 3 sons and 1 daughter-in-law, James, Roger, Richard and JoAnn Hetzel; 1 brother, Edwin "Gordon" Dreiske; 1 sister, Lenora Dreiske.


A memorial has been established.


Visitation will be 1:00 to 7:00pm Thursday at the Evanson-Jensen Funeral Home in Lemmon.