HELEN RAYMOND CARLSON
Helen Carlson was born on October 22, 1917. She was adopted by her maternal aunt, Kathryn Raymond and her husband, Robert. Helen was the oldest of five children who grew up during the depression. The depression taught Helen to be very frugal in her ways and gave her the ability to survive in the world no matter how hard the times. Helen’s mother was not physically well so, as the oldest child, she was a big help in taking care of her younger brothers and sisters. Helen always liked to have fun and to laugh and her brothers and sisters were all comedians. No matter how hard the times, her family was always filled with laughter.
Helen started her own family when she married Herbert Carlson in 1938. They bought their first home right across the street from Herbert’s parents, and that is where they lived when their first child, Celeste, was born. During the Second World War, they moved to Superior, Wisconsin where Herbert worked in the ship yards building battle ships. Their second little girl, Kathryn, was born in Superior, Wisconsin. After the War, they moved back to Minneapolis and Herbert became a contractor and started building homes. Helen and Herb settled down in the first house that he built. That is where their third child, Herb Jr., joined their little family.
Helen and Herb’s marriage ended in 1954 and Helen found herself on her own with three young children to support. She became employed by General Mills in Minneapolis. She worked there until she retired and remained in Minneapolis doing volunteer work for the VFW, the American Legion, the Veteran’s Hospital and the Servicemen’s Center at the Minneapolis Airport. She won many awards for volunteering hundreds of hours of service.
Helen is a person of many accomplishments. She has reached out to assist her family by welcoming family members into her home in times of need, assisting in raising nieces orphaned by her sisters’ deaths, and being a good friend and neighbor. She was a “single mom” in both word and deed. Without any help from a husband, she raised a wonderful family and a righteous posterity of 3 children, 12 grandchildren and 30 great-grandchildren. Helen prepared her children to be faithful Latter-Day Saints by teaching them to pray, reading Bible stories to them and sending them to any church that was close by. In teaching her children that all churches have value, and to love their Heavenly Father, she prepared them to recognize and accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ when they heard it. She also taught her children to be industrious, to value education, to be productive members of the community, and to live lives filled with laughter and joy.
Helen lived in her home in Minneapolis, Minnesota for 50 years. It was hard for her to make the decision to leave her home. One night she had a visitor that helped her make that decision. It was a big raccoon. Helen stayed in her back bedroom, with the door closed, and spent a frightening night of listening to that animal wreck her living room. He came down the chimney, knocked over the lamps and coffee table in front of the chimney, climbed up her curtains and, with his bouncing calisthenics, put sooty paw prints all over the ceiling. He sat in her recliner and, carefully unwrapping each peace of candy and throwing the wrappers all over the living room floor, emptied her candy dish. Helen said, “I’m sure that, if he could have found the remote, he probably would have watched some TV.”
In the fall of 2006, Helen left her home and Minneapolis. It was the hardest thing she ever had to do and it took a lot of courage to make that decision. She now lives at Jamestown, close enough to her children and grandchildren so that she can be with all of them frequently. Helen is honored and respected by her children. She is their “rock.” She is the person on whom they have always been able to count to give them the love and support that they need. She is their most enthusiastic cheerleader. To her posterity, Helen is a hero.
Helen started her own family when she married Herbert Carlson in 1938. They bought their first home right across the street from Herbert’s parents, and that is where they lived when their first child, Celeste, was born. During the Second World War, they moved to Superior, Wisconsin where Herbert worked in the ship yards building battle ships. Their second little girl, Kathryn, was born in Superior, Wisconsin. After the War, they moved back to Minneapolis and Herbert became a contractor and started building homes. Helen and Herb settled down in the first house that he built. That is where their third child, Herb Jr., joined their little family.
Helen and Herb’s marriage ended in 1954 and Helen found herself on her own with three young children to support. She became employed by General Mills in Minneapolis. She worked there until she retired and remained in Minneapolis doing volunteer work for the VFW, the American Legion, the Veteran’s Hospital and the Servicemen’s Center at the Minneapolis Airport. She won many awards for volunteering hundreds of hours of service.
Helen is a person of many accomplishments. She has reached out to assist her family by welcoming family members into her home in times of need, assisting in raising nieces orphaned by her sisters’ deaths, and being a good friend and neighbor. She was a “single mom” in both word and deed. Without any help from a husband, she raised a wonderful family and a righteous posterity of 3 children, 12 grandchildren and 30 great-grandchildren. Helen prepared her children to be faithful Latter-Day Saints by teaching them to pray, reading Bible stories to them and sending them to any church that was close by. In teaching her children that all churches have value, and to love their Heavenly Father, she prepared them to recognize and accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ when they heard it. She also taught her children to be industrious, to value education, to be productive members of the community, and to live lives filled with laughter and joy.
Helen lived in her home in Minneapolis, Minnesota for 50 years. It was hard for her to make the decision to leave her home. One night she had a visitor that helped her make that decision. It was a big raccoon. Helen stayed in her back bedroom, with the door closed, and spent a frightening night of listening to that animal wreck her living room. He came down the chimney, knocked over the lamps and coffee table in front of the chimney, climbed up her curtains and, with his bouncing calisthenics, put sooty paw prints all over the ceiling. He sat in her recliner and, carefully unwrapping each peace of candy and throwing the wrappers all over the living room floor, emptied her candy dish. Helen said, “I’m sure that, if he could have found the remote, he probably would have watched some TV.”
In the fall of 2006, Helen left her home and Minneapolis. It was the hardest thing she ever had to do and it took a lot of courage to make that decision. She now lives at Jamestown, close enough to her children and grandchildren so that she can be with all of them frequently. Helen is honored and respected by her children. She is their “rock.” She is the person on whom they have always been able to count to give them the love and support that they need. She is their most enthusiastic cheerleader. To her posterity, Helen is a hero.
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