Dorothy (DeVries) Helmink believed in Jesus. She dedicated her life to living out her faith by being a wife and mom. This was her path and the life lessons I think she would share with us today.
She was born on a farm March 14, 1927 as the third child of Oscar and Cally DeVries Southeast of Firth, Nebraska. Her siblings Harold, RuthAnn, Marjorie and Erma and Grandpa DeVries shared a home full of love and hard work. x She learned her love of cooking & baking early. As a child of the depression, she had a wealth of memories of family and neighbors pulling together in hard times. These lessons served her well all her life. She later gained a bonus sister, Sally.
She graduated from Firth High School and considered a nursing career but that path was not financially available to her. She instead worked at her Aunt Cona’s café/bakeshop near the state capital building living with their family above the business. Later she would work at the Elgin Watch Factory as a final inspector, Lincoln Drapery shop as a seamstress, First Federal’s staff cafeteria as cook/baker, the Firth Café as cook/baker and Lakeview Rest Home as a cook then activity’s assistant. After living in the big city she decided she would never go back to farm life and no indoor plumbing or electricity.
She first met her future husband when he was a hired hand for her father. Her first impression of him was that he was so careful to wash up before lunch but forgot to wash behind his ears. Later her father informed her that Gerald had been asking about her. Their dating days ended when Gerald asked her to be his girl. The wedding was set for September 8, 1949 at Firth Reformed church. A day of the wedding change, moved the ceremony to the Holland Church. It would be the last wedding held at the church before it was destroyed by fire. A honeymoon in the metropolis of Des Moines, IA, newlywed days on a rented farm just east of her home place, struggling to start a family and the purchase of the farm one mile North of Firth quickly followed. After the arrival of Debra in 1954, Kyle in 1957, Kirk in 1960 and Christine in 1962 their adventure of life together sped along. Mom’s days were filled with homemaking, gathering eggs, driving tractor with the rule that her performance was not critiqued, sewing anything needed for a family of 6 and always, every week, every day, devotions at our table. None of us will forget sitting around the table while the fan whirred underneath having a prayer at every meal and a daily devotional. Sunday mornings and evenings were for church, so were Wednesday nights, Saturday catechism and any other time the church had the lights on. It was not a perfect life but it was very good.
In 1978 Mom faced the loss of Dad a short time after a cancer diagnosis. With two kids still at home and a farm to run it was too much. She didn’t get through it because she could, she did it because she had to and her kids needed her. The support of family, neighbors and friends was priceless to her during this time. Her faith gave her hope of better times to come.
Mom’s retirement started with her move from the farm to a house in Firth then a townhouse. She was now a mom, grandma, and great-grandma. she loved us all but couldn’t get enough of those new babies in the family. She led our family by example taking each stage of the aging process with intelligent acceptance but also a fight to stay active in life. Now there was time to travel, volunteer more, keep a flower garden and of course bake pies! She stayed active going to her children’s and grandchildren’s activities. We walked with her through her final health decline and learned more life lessons about peace, acceptance, grieving life’s losses and faith in God. Whether it was sharing her testimony with her surgeon, thanking staff for their help or advocating for herself, she never stopped teaching us. You can’t fit a life into a few paragraphs, but you can pass it on into the life and memories of 4 children, 8 grandchildren and 16 great grandchildren
Celebration of Life will be held 11:00 a.m. Monday, September 25, 2023 at Holland Reformed Church, 22005 S. 96th Street, Hickman, NE.
Private family burial to be held 10:00 a.m. at Holland Cemetery.
Memorials to Holland Reformed Church.