Helen Grace Johnson
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Helen Grace (Wicklund) Johnson passed away June 24, 2022 at the St. Clare Living Community in Mora MN. She was 96 years old.
Helen was born June 8, 1926 at Riverside Farm in Alpha, Wisconsin to Christina (Aronson) and John "Albert" Wicklund. She was the ninth of eleven children to be raised on the family farm. Helen was the last Wicklund sibling of her generation. She cherished her family heritage, and her life reflected the kindness and decency her generation of Wicklund siblings demonstrated.
Helen attended school in Alpha and then traveled to Minneapolis during WWII to work at Munsingwear. After the war ended, she returned home and met a returning serviceman, Vernon A. Johnson. They married in 1949 and moved to Duluth, MN. To that union three children were born: Richard, Nancy and Dennis.
After Vern?s retirement in 1978, Vern and Helen returned to the Grantsburg area buying a small farm in Alpha. Helen started her 10 year career as a housekeeper at the Grantsburg Hospital. She enjoyed the job but what she really loved was the opportunity to spend some time with the patients while she did her job. She was always willing to lend an ear, share a good laugh, offer comfort, and often give a witty response. Helen and some friends started a Kitchen Band and played together at many local and state wide events for several years. She played the kazoo and loved every minute of it! She always enjoyed music that had a good beat and her fingers would tap along with that beat long after she could no longer tap her feet.
Daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, auntie and friend. She was special in every role and everyone who knew her has "a good Helen story". She will be missed and remembered well for her kindness and wonderful sense of humor.
She was preceded in death by her husband Vernon; parents Tina and Albert; siblings and spouses, Harold (Gertrude), Roy (June), Edna (Axel) Sorenson, Melvin (Merlet), Little Effie Lillian (toddler), Arne (Helen), Elmer (Diane), Delbert (Vera), Elsie (Palmer) Berg, Effie May (Art) Swenson.
Helen is survived by her children, Richard (Bonnie) of Grand Portage, Nancy (Ron) Peterson of Mora, and Dennis (Darla) Johnson of Superior, WI; five grandchildren, Jenny, Rick, Aaron, Natalie and Jake; 13 great grandchildren, EmmaLeigh, Thomas, Matthew, Lily, Grace, Silas, Sophie, Elias, Mya, Henry, Peter, Jack and Annabelle; step granddaughters and children, Kristy and Kyley, and Quincey and Kolton.
Each one was "special" to her and she tried her best to make sure they knew it! She is also survived by many nieces and nephews and their children who call her "Auntie Helen". She loved them all!
A Memorial Service will be held at 2:00 pm on Friday, July 1, 2022 at the Trinity Lutheran Church of Falun, Wisconsin. Memorial Visitation will be held 1 hour prior to the service at the church. Inurnment will be in the Anscarius Cemetery near Grantsburg, Wisconsin. Arrangements are by the Hamilton Funeral Homes- Akkerman Chapel in Mora. Condolences may be posted at www.hamiltonfhs.com.