Born October 7, 1935
Went to be with the Lord June 17, 2016 at age 80
Preceded in death by parents Theodore & Ida Louise (nee Hugg) Landmark; brothers & sisters Paul Landmark, David Landmark, Harold Landmark & Evangeline Bartell. Survived by children Benjamin Lee (Ruth), Annette Gmyrek (Craig) & David Lee (Natasha); grandchildren Ryan Lee, Kendra Gannucci (Jeremy), Stephanie Lee, Brianne Lee, Annie Lee, Noah Lee, Joshua Lee, Tyler Gmyrek, Alissa Gmyrek, Bryce Gmyrek, Andrew Gmyrek, Serena Lee, Daniel Lee, Nellie Lee & Celeste Lee; great granddaughter Poppy Gannucci; brother Oscar Landmark (Beulah); many nieces & nephews.
Helen was born near Montevideo, MN on October 7th, 1935. Raised on a farm with her four siblings, she was no stranger to hard work. In her earlier childhood, there was no electricity or running water. During harvest time, she would help cook meals for the threshing crews on nothing but a wood stove: just one of the things that set the stage for her renowned cooking and baking skills.
Helen was named after Helen Jepsen, a woman evangelist who came to western Minnesota to preach the gospel. This was the start of a spiritual awakening that greatly impacted her life. In fact, she would later meet Joe at a fellowship meeting where he saw her in the crowd while playing the upright bass and the rest is history. They were married in April of 1960 and shortly thereafter they welcomed their first son Benjamin followed by Annette and then David. Taking care of her family was important to Helen. Through cooking, baking, sewing, and making their house a home, she loved on her husband and kids. She is also well-known for the beautiful quilts that she put hours of love and effort into. She has blessed many people with quilts throughout the years, including one for each of her grandkids.
Besides being a homemaker, Helen was active in ministry with Joe all her life. One of her great loves were children and children’s ministry. Even as young as 13, she was teaching sunday school. Later, she started a neighborhood Bible club, with kids coming from near and far, that had as many as 60 children in attendance. Helen started a similar Bible club at her church which attracted many kids from the local neighborhood. For 30 years, she also taught school children who were released each week for religious instruction. Helen was given large groups of challenging students because she had the perfect blend of firmness and love. Her influence with children extended well into her later years as she kept kids in line while driving school bus.
In 1978, during a providential meeting, Helen and Joe met a young Haitian pastor, Stenio Capre, who had one church in the mountains of Haiti at the time. Over the years as his ministry grew to include over 300 churches and schools which served thousands of students, Helen and Joe supported him in a number of ways. Helen bought and refurbished many sewing machines. She bought and collected donated material so Haitian women would have the opportunity to earn income sewing. She organized frequent clothing drives. She was a driving force in the support of Stenio’s ministry - Harvest of Haiti. On her 80th birthday, in lieu of presents, Helen asked family and friends to make a donation to Stenio’s ministry. There was well over $1,000 donated. Her’s was a life of great love and compassion for people. She was a mover and shaker, an example to many, and the ripple effect of her life will carry on for generations.
Visitation Thursday, June 23 from 5-8 PM at GRACE PLACE, 1545 Dieter St. N, St. Paul. Funeral Service Friday, June 24 at 10:30 AM at GRACE PLACE, 1545 Dieter St. N, St. Paul, with visitation one hour prior. Interment Saturday, June 25 at 10:30 AM at Union Cemetery, Cambridge, MN.
Memorials may be made to Harvest of Haiti, P.O. Box 495, Cottage Grove, MN 55016.