Helen Gertrude Bergquist
May 15, 1915 - May 13, 2018
Obituary
Helen Gertrude Bergquist, age 102, passed away peacefully at Wesley Homes Healthcare Center in Des Moines, Washington, on May 13, 2018, just two days shy of her 103rd birthday.
Helen was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, on May 15 1915, the oldest daughter of five children. She moved with her family to Chicago, Illinois where she graduated from Hawthorne High School. It was then that she would begin her career as a secretary, which would later take her to the west coast to work for Seagram’s Distillery, and eventually to the firm of Merrill Lynch. She moved back to Chicago to care for her mother and father until their deaths. She retired from Merrill Lynch (Chicago) in 1974.
Helen touched everyone she met with her quick wit and warm smile. A woman of integrity and intelligence, she was an individual of many interests, and enjoyed keeping up with current events, politics, and the financial world. She was a world traveler, a superb seamstress, and a voracious reader. But most of all, she loved spending time with her family.
She will be deeply missed by her nieces Valerie (John) Weber, Cynthia (Peter Seybold) Bergquist and Cheryl (Donald) Peterson, and her nephews, Mark (Annette) Dricker, James (Tina Green) Sundin, Timothy (Kathy) Bergquist, and Mitchell (Kerry) Bergquist. She was also blessed to have had several great nieces and nephews and great-great nieces and nephews.
Above all, Helen will be remembered as a loving and supportive daughter, sister, aunt, and friend. Her graciousness and kindness will be forever missed.
Helen was predeceased by her father Alfred, her mother Selma (Wickdahl), her brothers William, Arvid, and Thomas, her sister Lorna, and her great-niece Cari.
The family wishes to thank the staff at Wesley Homes Healthcare Center in Des Moines for the kindness, respect, and love they showed our Aunt throughout her residence there over the past years.
A graveside remembrance service will take place at a later date in Burlington, Wisconsin.
I was very sorry to learn today of Helen’s passing. She was an intelligent, engaging and generous person. She could make a great cheesecake, one which I will always remember. Talking to Helen was always an engaging experience. I learned so many things about her life, the cottage, her favorite boss at Merrill Lynch, so many insights of a full life. I remember so many details and so much wise advice. The world is such an interesting place if you meet people like Helen. She once gave me a book called Simple Abundance. It was timely and after reading it, I passed it on. Our whole family treasured our experiences with Helen. I will always be grateful to her for being who she was to all of us. She had a small plate called “The Cottage of Content”. She gave it to us when we bought the cottage. We have it hanging in our home where my husband and I pass it daily. I always told my children that you chose happiness everyday, I am pretty sure I got the idea from that plate, from Helen.