Walt and AliceWALTER HELLE, 15g (George A. 14, Frederick 13)
b.Cuba, IL; June 1912
Cuba, IL; June 1912m.1932ALICE FRONA WILLIAMS
b.Princeton, IL; 14 Feb. 1912
Princeton, IL; 14 Feb. 1912WALTER HELLE was named William Frederick, However, when people started calling him Billy. Ida, who hated nicknames, started calling him Frederick. Soon he was being called Freddie so she changed his name to Walter thinking no one could make a nickname out of that. Walter knew nothing about this until 1960 when he needed a birth certificate in order to get a passport to go to South America. He learned that the only son born to George A. and Ida (Kaler) Helle on 20 June 1912 was Walter Frederick Helle. Ida was still alive and told Walter what had happened so he had his name changed on the birth certificate to just Walter Helle.
Brother Gail Helle wrote that Walter found ALICE FRONA WILLIAMS".. . in our tomato patch." They were married when they were twenty years old. Walter has spent most of his adult life in the lumber business and most of those years working together with his brother Sheldon. Walter would never swear even as a child when his schoolmates would twist his arms trying to force him to swear. Brother Gail wrote,". ... Sheldon did the swearing for both of them." Niece, Sharon (Osborn) Bearce wrote, ..... dear religious, philosophical Uncle Walt is a joy to all who meet him."
Walter and Alice had five children:
BURNETTE WALTER HELLE, 16g
b.Galena, IL; Sep. 1935
Galena, IL; Sep. 1935d. Mar. 1937br. Savanna, ILJANICE ARLENE HELLE, 16g
b.Galesburg, IL; Dec. 1937
Galesburg, IL; Dec. 1937 VERNON WENDELL HELLE, 16g
b.Dubuque, IA; Aug. 1940
Dubuque, IA; Aug. 1940 STANLEY WAYNE HELLE, 16g
b.Savanna, IL; Apr. 1943
Savanna, IL; Apr. 1943 JOSEPH LESLIE HELLE, 16g
b.Savanna, IL; Feb. 1945
Savanna, IL; Feb. 1945Julie M. (Law) Draper, granddaughter
When I was in first grade my grandparents came for a visit. I would sit on Grandpa's lap hour after hour and hug and kiss him. One day my teacher noticed that I had red spots all over my cheeks. She thought I had the measles and sent me home from school. I tried to explain to her that it wasn't the measles; it was just Grandpa's whiskers. (My face had broken out in a rash from Grandpa's whiskers.) However, I didn't really mind getting sent home from school because I could spend the rest of the day sitting on Grandpa's lap.
JANICE ARLENE HELLE, 16g (Walter 15, George A. 14,
Frederick 13)
b.Galesburg, IL; Dec. 1937
Galesburg, IL; Dec. 1937m.1st - Savanna, IL; 14 Apr. 1957. dv. 1979
1st - Savanna, IL; 14 Apr. 1957. dv. 1979JERRY LEE LAW, son of Lawrence and Melvia (Solt) Law
b.Savanna, IL; Mar. 1937
Savanna, IL; Mar. 1937m.2nd - Nashua, IA; 10 Aug. 1979
2nd - Nashua, IA; 10 Aug. 1979KENNETH E. MILLS, son of Osborn and Alice (Freeman) Mills
b.Muscatine, IA; July 1936
Muscatine, IA; July 1936JANICE ARLENE HELLE was,".. . our first and only little girl according to her father, Walter Helle. Janice was truly a gift from heaven. She is still my little sweetheart and I still sit her on my lap and remind her of this."
Janice and her first husband, JERRY LEE LAW, had three children:
DEBRA LEE LAW. 17g
b.Savanna, IL; May 1958
Savanna, IL; May 1958 STEVEN C. LAW, 17g
b Savanna, IL; June 1960
JULIE M. LAW, 17g
b.Elgin, IL; Nov. 1961
Elgin, IL; Nov. 1961Of her divorce and second marriage Janice writes, "I married KENNETH E. MILLS and moved to Pine Bluff, Arkansas. He and I had played the clarinet and saxophone in our high school band. We met again at his twenty-fifth class reunion in 1979. These past five years have been the happiest of my life . . . I became a born again Christian in April 1971 and Ken in September, 1980. Both of my girls love the Lord and I am praying for my son. When my brother, Joe, was saved, he poured the beer out and then called me. I was very thrilled."
DEBRA LEE LAW, 17g (Janice Helle 16, Walter 15, George
A.14, Frederick 13)
14, Frederick 13)B.Savanna, IL; May 1958
Savanna, IL; May 1958m.LARRY LISTER, 19 Jan. 1958
LARRY LISTER, 19 Jan. 1958Debra and Larry are the parents of:
VALARIE LISTER, 18g
b. Sep. 1974AARON LISTER, 18g
b. Jan. 1976JULIE M. LAW, 17g (Janice Helle 16, Walter 15, George
A.14, Frederick 13)
14, Frederick 13)b.Elgin, IL; Nov. 1961
Elgin, IL; Nov. 1961m.Comstock Park, MI; Maranatha Bible Church; 6 Oct. 1979
Comstock Park, MI; Maranatha Bible Church; 6 Oct. 1979JAMES ALLEN DRAPER, son of Norman Leland and Carol Lee (Newman) Draper
b.Greenville, MI; Sep. 1960
Greenville, MI; Sep. 1960JULIE M. LAW is a graduate of Savanna High School, Savanna, Illinois. She attended the Grand Rapids School of Bible and Music January to June 1979. Julie was baptized and became a member of the Oak Park Bible Church in Savanna but presently attends Camplake Baptist Church in Sparta, Michigan, where her husband, JAMES ALLEN DRAPER, is also attending. Jim is a 1979 graduate of Creston High School, Grand Rapids, Michigan. He served in the United States Air Force March, 1981 to June, 1981, when he received an honorable medical discharge. He was baptized and became a member at Maranatha Bible Church, Comstock Park, Michigan.
Julie and Jim are the parents of:
JAMES ALLEN DRAPER II, 18g
b.Grand Rapids, MI; Sep. 1980
Grand Rapids, MI; Sep. 1980 JESSICA LESLIE DRAPER, 18g
b.Grand Rapids, MI; Apr. 1983
Grand Rapids, MI; Apr. 1983VERNON WENDELL HELLE, 16g (Walter 15, George A.
14, Frederick 13)
b.Dubuque, IA; Aug. 1940
Dubuque, IA; Aug. 1940m.Savanna, IL; Oct. 1958
Savanna, IL; Oct. 1958DELORES ROSE HAZEN, daughter of Oakley W. and Rose M. (Kautman) Hazen
b.Mt. Hope, WI; Nov. 1939
Mt. Hope, WI; Nov. 1939VERNON WENDELL HELLE was born on the eighth wedding anniversary of his parents, Walter and Alice F. (Williams) Helle. He married DELORES ROSE HAZEN a few months after he graduated from high school. They are the parents of:
CHERYL LYNN HELLE, 17g
b.Savanna, IL; Aug. 1959
Savanna, IL; Aug. 1959d.Savanna, IL; Aug. 1959
Savanna, IL; Aug. 1959br. Savanna, IL
TERESA ROSE HELLE, 17g
b.Savanna, IL; July 1961
Savanna, IL; July 1961 KATHLEEN ANN HELLE, 17g
b Savanna, IL; July 1963
BRENDA ARLENE HELLE, 17g
b.Savanna, IL; May 1968
Savanna, IL; May 1968TERESA ROSE HELLE, 17g (Vernon 16, Walter 15, George A. 14, Frederick 13)
b.Savanna. IL; 16 July 1961
Savanna. IL; 16 July 1961m. Apr. 1980
Apr. 1980ROCKNE "ROCKY" W. MICKELSON
STANLEY WAYNE HELLE, 16g (Walter 15, George A. 14, Frederick 13)
b.Savanna, IL; Apr. 1943
Savanna, IL; Apr. 1943m.1st - WARNA N. ZINN
1st - WARNA N. ZINNm.2nd - July 1974
2nd - July 1974LORRAINE RAMONA SHAFER, daughter of Reynold Frederick and Virginia Mary (Mertz) Shafer
b. Feb. 1943Stanley and Warna are the parents of:
ARRON F. HELLE, 17g
b.Savanna, IL; Jan. 1966
Savanna, IL; Jan. 1966JOSEPH LESLIE HELLE, 16g (Walter 15, George A. 14, Frederick 13)
b.Savanna, IL; Feb. 1945
Savanna, IL; Feb. 1945 m. 2nd - PATRICIA PRESTON
Patricia had two sons from a previous marriage whom Joe adopted:
VICTOR HELLE, 17g
b. Oct. 1964VINCENT HELLE, 17g
b. Aug. 1966