Kenneth Hellie

KENNETH ELDOR HELLIE was born at home in Jasper, Minnesota to Knute and Elizabeth (Quissell) Hellie on May 4, 1918. He was baptized on May 26, 1918 and confirmed on June 26, 1932 at the Jasper Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jasper. Kenny received his education with Jasper Public Schools. Kenny’s mother died when he was 4 years old. He continued to live with his father in Jasper until 1934 when they moved to a farm three miles west of Ihlen, Minnesota. At the age of 16, Kenny began his career in farming on the family farm. While doing some carpentry work with his dad for the Remme family, Kenny was offered to be set up on a blind date with the daughter, Eleanor, but because of a misunderstanding, Helen Remme showed up for the blind date. It must have been love at first sight, because Kenny and Helen were united in marriage on June 15, 1940 at the Blue Mound Church in Kenneth, Minnesota – a marriage that lasted 72 years! Following their marriage, they moved to Kenneth’s farm west of Ihlen. There they lived, raised their children, milked cows and farmed. In 1993, after their son passed away, they sold the farm and moved to Pipestone. In March of 2012, Helen entered the care of the Good Samaritan Communities of Pipestone where she preceded Kenny in death on March 1, 2013. In November of 2012, Kenny moved into Ridgeview Estates in Pipestone until he moved to Edgebrook Care Center in Edgerton, Minnesota, on September 29, 2015. Kenny was 100% Norwegian and died peacefully at Edgebrook on May 17, 2016, Norwegian Independence Day, at the age of 98 years and 13 days.

Kenny was a life-long member of the Jasper Evangelical Lutheran Church where he served on the church council. He was a member of Sons of Norway and also the Jasper Elevator Board. Kenny and Helen enjoyed fishing, dancing, and traveling to various destinations, including Hawaii and Norway. He enjoyed woodworking, making baskets and picture frames from reclaimed barn wood. Most importantly, Kenny enjoyed the time that was spent with his family.

Kenny is survived by his children: Janice (John) Bouwman of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Darrell (Pat) Hellie of Beresford, South Dakota; daughter-in-law Maxine (Jim) Johnson of Jasper; 5 grandchildren; and 15 great-grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his parents; his wife; his son, Richard; his sisters, Sylvia Soley, Jean Hellie and Darlene Doran.