Memorial Services for Helen Sturtz will be held at
2:00 P.M.
on Friday, July 24, at the First Presbyterian Church in Albert Lea.
The Reverend Dwight
Netzer will officiate.
Private interment will be in
Graceland
Cemetery
.
Friends may visit with family from 4-7 on Thursday at Bonnerup
Funeral Service, 2210
East Main
, Albert Lea.
Helen died on
Sunday, July 19, 2009
, at her home.
She was 81.
Helen Sturtz was born
March 24, 1928
, in
Marshall
,
Michigan
, the daughter of Wilhelm and Emilie (Schatz) Schlotter.
She attended public school in
Marshall
through the tenth grade.
The family moved to
Battle Creek
,
Michigan
in 1943 and Helen finished her last two years at
Battle Creek
High School
, graduating in 1945 as the class valedictorian.
During her high school years she also completed a cosmetology course and she became a licensed beauty operator.
Helen attended the
University
of
Michigan
on a Regents Alumni Scholarship, majoring in languages.
She was member of Alpha Delta Pi Sorority.
She received her B.A. Degree in 1949, having learned Latin, French, Spanish and a little Norwegian to go with her German.
Helen started taking piano lessons at the age of five and she became an accomplished pianist who could play equally well by ear and from music.
Her parents emigrated from the Black Forest area of
Germany
in the 1920’s and during Helen’s childhood German was the language in the home.
In 1937 the family spent the summer in
Germany
visiting relatives. While she was there Helen learned to play the accordion and the concertina.
Helen and William “Bill” Sturtz were married
July 23, 1949
in
Battle Creek
,
Michigan
.
Helen worked as a secretary in the language department of the
University
High School
while her husband finished law school.
Helen and Bill moved to
Albert Lea
in January, 1951.
They moved into their house on
Ridge Road
in 1954 and it was their home until they moved into the Village Co-op in 2006.
Helen was primarily a homemaker during the first years of her marriage although she did hold several temporary or short-term secretarial jobs.
In 1974 she started work as a travel agent for World Travel, then owned by Bob Quackenbush.
Then in 1984 Helen and two of her associates, Sue Barber and Sally Furness, purchased World Travel and moved it to the old Pizza Cellar building on Washington Avenue.
During her travel agent years Helen was able to take a number of interesting “familiarization trips” to such places as
Alaska
,
Hawaii
,
Israel
, Grand Cayman, Curacao and
New Zealand
.
Helen retired in 1990.
Helen and her husband were avid travelers.
Their travels eventually took them to all fifty states and over sixty-five foreign countries.
She and Bill had occasion to cruise on the Danube, Yangtze and
Amazon
Rivers
.
They agreed that the trip to
New Zealand
was their favorite, though they also made over twenty-five trips to
Mexico
.
They had the opportunity to visit the Black Forest area of
Germany
where her folks had come from, and
Skane
Province
in
Sweden
where Bill’s grandfather spent his boyhood.
They were enthusiastic bridge players and often played in local and
Midwest
duplicate bridge tournaments.
Helen acquired enough master points to become an American Contract Bridge Life Master in 1973.
She also enjoyed playing golf, reading, and working crossword puzzles.
She was considered to be an expert in matters of grammar and punctuation. She was also an expert at knitting and her little “owl” baby sweaters were prized by all those who received them.
She enjoyed the time she spent with her family members and she enjoyed attending their many musical and theatrical performances.
Helen was a charter member, a 50-year member, and a past president of PEO Sorority Chapter CV.
She also belonged to the Shrine Club Auxiliary and the American Legion Auxiliary.
Helen is survived by her husband Bill, sons Dave (Anita) Sturtz, Gold Hill, CO, Bob (Lisa) Sturtz, Albert Lea, MN, and John (Cyndi) Sturtz, Stillwater, MN; by grandchildren: Matt (Julie) Sturtz, Broomfield, CO, Tamara (“Shine”) Sturtz, Boulder, CO, Libby (Sky Ogletree) Sturtz, Longmont, CO, Rachael (Joshua) Garcia, Manhattan, KS, and Anna, William Evan and Jack Sturtz, Albert Lea, MN; by step grandchildren: Aurora Sidell, Steamboat Springs, CO and Marielle Sidell, Boulder, CO; by great grandchildren: Brooke Sturtz, Calvin Ogletree and Collin Garcia; by “honorary” daughter Mary (Kris) Zetterlund, Cary, IL; by sister-in-law, Alice Kuehl, Bremerton, WA, brother-in-law and sister-in-law John and Bonnie Sturtz, Green Valley, AZ and Truckee, CA; and by many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents, a son, Dr. Rick Sturtz in 1996 and a brother-in-law, Elmer Kuehl.
Helen was a multi-talented person who was always willing to share her talents with others, especially those in her family.
She will be greatly missed.
Memorials may be to Crossroads Community Hospice, First
Presbyterian Church or the donor’s choice.
