Helen Walsh

Helen M Walsh

12/18/1917 – 5/18/2014

At 5:30 PM on Sunday, May 18, 2014 Helen Herminghaus Walsh, 96, left us to go square dancing in heaven with Cletus who has been waiting for her since 2001.

Helen was born on December 18, 1917, in Butte, MT to Richard and Grace Herminghaus.  At 6 months of age, she moved with the family to a farm in Boyd, MT for 4 years then to Billings where she lived for 92 years.  In September of 2013, she relocated to Layton, Utah with Kathleen and Bill.

She graduated from Billings Senior High School in 1935 then attended Billings Business College.  She was a stenographer for a law firm for 3 years.

On September 5, 1938, she married Cletus J Walsh in Great Falls, MT.  They first met at St. Patrick’s Church in Billings where he was an usher.  She caught his eye because the seams in her nylons were always straight.  They celebrated their 63 ^rd wedding anniversary in 2001, one month before he passed away.

Helen and Cletus loved to square dance and round dance and belonged to the 59ers, the Star Allemanders, and the Challengers square dance club.  They were involved in square dancing and round dancing for 30 years and made many life time friendships.  Helen put her sewing skills to good use on the matching outfits she designed and sewed for herself and Cletus.

During her lifetime, she worked alongside Cletus as a postal clerk and as his right hand woman after he started Montana Market Research.  She spent thousands of hours interviewing people on every subject imaginable.  She was a member of St. Patrick’s and St. Thomas churches all her life.  She was a member of Yellowstone County Homemakers for 50 years and belonged to NARFE where she was a secretary for 15 years.  She was an avid reader (at least 2 books a week) and loved to sew; winning ribbons on almost everything she entered in the fair.

She is survived by her children Tom, Tony (Edna) Walsh, and Kathleen (Bill) LaMeres; her daughter-in-law Pat, her sister Jean (Dave) Jondrow; her sister-in-law Bonnie Herminghuas; her cousin Alma Bresnahan; 10 grandchildren Steve (Lisa), Stuart (Stephanie), Susanne (Trey), Jeff (Jaime), Justin (Claire), Patrick (Heather), Tina Walsh and Brian, Bruce (Lina), and Brock (JoAnn) LaMeres; 12 great-grandchildren Clair, Megan, Andy, Erin, Tyler, Madison, Keely, Ailee and Joseph Walsh, Tyler and Madison Armstrong, Alexis, Kylie, and Isaac LaMeres; her very special friends Jacque Walsh and Lisa Sebena; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Besides her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by her son Larry and her brother Richard Herminghaus.

Special thanks to the people at Legacy Village in Layton and to West Park Village in Billings for the kind and loving care you gave to our Mother.

Memorials may be made to the charity of your choice.

Graveside services in Billings, MT are pending.

Memorial services will be held Friday, May 23, 2014 at 11 a.m. at Lindquist’s Layton Mortuary, 1867 No. Fairfield Road.

Condolences may be sent to the family at www.lindquistmortuary.com