Helen Rusche, age 82, of Helena, MT, passed away January 8, 2009, at St. Peter’s Hospital in Helena, following a brief illness.
Helen was born May 25, 1926, in Wolf Point, MT, to Torval and Mina (Rose) Birkland, the eighth of ten children. She attended school in Wolf Point and graduated in 1944. Helen’s parents owned and operated restaurants in Wolf Point so at an early age she worked in the family business. Because Helen’s mother never drove, Helen was responsible for getting up in the early morning and driving her mother to the restaurant so Mina could start baking and cooking. After graduation Helen was eager to find a career that did not involve restaurants. She went to work as secretary to the high school principal, Bob Lowry, and worked there until her marriage to Robert W. Rusche on January 10, 1948. They then moved to the family farm north of Wolf Point and lived there until the fall of 1995, when they moved to town. After Bob passed away in 2000, Helen moved to Helena.
Even though Helen always told her family she was not cut out to be a farmer’s wife, she stood beside Bob, operating the family ranch and farm for almost fifty years. Helen’s main focus was providing a safe and comfortable home, not only for her immediate family, but also for extended family, hired workers and friends. She had a knack for whipping up a meal at a moment’s notice for all the unannounced guests and will always be remembered for her delicious Scandinavian baking. Her green thumb produced beautiful flowers, fruits and vegetables, year after year. Helen was an avid bowler, loved to golf, enjoyed her grandchildren, and in later years her great grandchildren.
Helen was preceded in death by her husband, Bob, six siblings: Martha Budke, Thor Leif Birkland, Odin Birkland, Eva Johnson, Lorraine Sherlock and Robert Birkland. She is survived by her son, Bill (Carolyn) Rusche of Wolf Point, her daughter Janice (Howard) Davis of Helena, four grandchildren: Ryan (Becky) Rusche, Calli (Kenny) Nicholson, Stacy (Rod) Smith, Megan Davis; five great-grandchildren; three sisters: Mayme Strom, Ruth Nash and Audrey (Irving) Iverson; a sister-in-law, Marilou Birkland; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 17, 2009, at First Lutheran Church in Wolf Point officiated by Rev. Greg Holler-Dinsmore with internment at Greenwood Cemetery. A luncheon will follow. Memorials may be sent to the Wolf Point 100 Club in Helen’s memory. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.stevensonandsons.com. Clayton Memorial Chapel of Wolf Point has been entrusted with the arrangements.