Helen Thompson

Helen Thompson, age 82, of Grogan, died on Sunday, January 6, 2013, at Luther Memorial Home in Madelia. Funeral services will be 10:30am, Friday, January 11, 2013 at First Presbyterian Church in St. James with Rev. Lester Lear officiating. Burial will follow at Mt. Hope Cemetery in St. James. Visitation will be at Sturm Funeral Home in St. James Thursday from 4pm to 7pm and at the church 1 hour before services on Friday. Helen Marie Nelson was born on February 22, 1930 to Walter and Florence (Johnson) Nelson in Rosendale Township (St. James), Minnesota. She attended country school in Districts #65 and #66 in St. James. On May 22, 1948 she was united in marriage to Arthur C. Thompson in Red Wing, Minnesota. They made their home in Grogan. Blessed with five children, Helen enjoyed raising her family, concentrating her energy toward creating a loving home. After her children were grown, Helen worked at Tony Downs Foods in St. James, retiring in 1994 after 17 years of service. Helen was passionate about music, church, and spending time with her family. With her amazing gift of playing music by ear, she learned to play accordian, organ and piano. She devoted her musical talents to her church, The World Of Pentecost, for many years. She was an exceptional baker, creating highly sought after goodies and treats for the entire family. Helen adored spending time with her 12 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren, and possessed the remarkable ability of making each of them feel extraordinarily special, as if they were her favorite out of the whole bunch. She was a devoted wife, loving mother, and incredible grandmother. Grateful to have shared her life are husband, Arthur Thompson; daughters, Annie (Michael) Lawrence of Madelia, MN, Kathy (Blair) Haler of St. James, MN, and Jodi (Jerry) Mundt of Madison Lake, MN; grandchildren, Kimberly (Bradley) Redmond, Jennifer (Jeff) Groebner, LaMona (Cameron) Kellogg, Chad (Amy) Mollenhauer, Jeremiah Haler, Amber Severson, Stefanie (Jon) Rath, Trisha Haler, Lyndsey Haler, Steven Mundt, Brian (Rachel) Mundt, and Amanda Mundt; great grandchildren, Ben, Jake, Kevin, Nick, Zack, Alex, Sadie, Magnus, Mateo, Aidan, Austin, Ethan, and Maverick; brother,Wallace Nelson of Madelia, MN; sisters,Violet Niemeier of Grogan, MN, and Dona (Melvin) Engelbrecht of St. James, MN. Helen was preceded in death by her parents; sons, Dennis and Steven; daughter in law, Carol; several aunts, uncles, and in-laws. Visitation 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm Thursday, January 10, 2013 Sturm Funeral Home, St. James 906 10th Ave. S. St. James, Minnesota, United States 56081 Service Information 10:30 am Friday, January 11, 2013 First Presbyterian Church-St. James 706 3rd Ave. St. James, Minnesota, United States 56081