HARLEY EUGENE "GENE" HELLE, 15g (George A. 14, Frederick 13)
b. 18 July 1918; Cuba, IL
m. 1948 LORETTA MAXINE HEATHER (b. 01 Nov 1927 Ogle County, IL; d. 11 July 1989; Illinois)
d. 03 Sept 2004; DeWitt, AR
br. Daysville Cemetery; Ogle County, IL
HARLEY EUGENE "GENE" HELLE was the ninth son of George A. and Ida (Kaler) Helle. He was a teenager when his parents and younger family members moved to Bureau County in northern Illinois. Gene and his next older brother, Verle, and next younger brother, Gail, double-dated all through school. They also worked together for several years until World War II separated them. Gene served in the United States Navy for three years, most of that time in the Pacific Theater.
In 1948 Gene married LORETTA MAXINE HEATHER. She brought a daughter into the marriage whom Gene adopted. Gene and Maxine had four children:
CHERYL CHRISTINE "CHRIS" HELLE, 16g
b. 06 Aug 1946; Oregon, IL
BRADLEY HOWARD HELLE, 16g
b. 20 July 1950; Oregon, IL
PATTI JANE HELLE, 16g
b. 18 Jan 1954; Dixon, IL
GEORGE BRYAN HELLE, 16g
b. 22 Feb 1956; Oregon, IL
BARRY CLAYTON HELLE, 16g
b. 04 March 1957; Oregon, IL
Gene and Maxine settled in the Oregon, Illinois, area and operated a sawmill there and were active in civic affairs. In 1968 they moved their family to the island of Maui, Hawaii, where Gene had been stationed during World War II. He operated a sawmill there until 1983. When Charles Lindberg died, Gene furnished the rough lumber for his coffin. (Lindberg had requested a Hawaiian burial; i. e., burial within a few hours after death in a rough coffin.)
Gene operates Helle Sawmills at Kahoka, Missouri.
b. 18 July 1918; Cuba, IL
m. 1948 LORETTA MAXINE HEATHER (b. 01 Nov 1927 Ogle County, IL; d. 11 July 1989; Illinois)
d. 03 Sept 2004; DeWitt, AR
br. Daysville Cemetery; Ogle County, IL
HARLEY EUGENE "GENE" HELLE was the ninth son of George A. and Ida (Kaler) Helle. He was a teenager when his parents and younger family members moved to Bureau County in northern Illinois. Gene and his next older brother, Verle, and next younger brother, Gail, double-dated all through school. They also worked together for several years until World War II separated them. Gene served in the United States Navy for three years, most of that time in the Pacific Theater.
In 1948 Gene married LORETTA MAXINE HEATHER. She brought a daughter into the marriage whom Gene adopted. Gene and Maxine had four children:
CHERYL CHRISTINE "CHRIS" HELLE, 16g
b. 06 Aug 1946; Oregon, IL
BRADLEY HOWARD HELLE, 16g
b. 20 July 1950; Oregon, IL
PATTI JANE HELLE, 16g
b. 18 Jan 1954; Dixon, IL
GEORGE BRYAN HELLE, 16g
b. 22 Feb 1956; Oregon, IL
BARRY CLAYTON HELLE, 16g
b. 04 March 1957; Oregon, IL
Gene and Maxine settled in the Oregon, Illinois, area and operated a sawmill there and were active in civic affairs. In 1968 they moved their family to the island of Maui, Hawaii, where Gene had been stationed during World War II. He operated a sawmill there until 1983. When Charles Lindberg died, Gene furnished the rough lumber for his coffin. (Lindberg had requested a Hawaiian burial; i. e., burial within a few hours after death in a rough coffin.)
Gene operates Helle Sawmills at Kahoka, Missouri.
Below story as told by Brad Helle, 16th generation, son of Gene Helle
I felt I should tell the story some of you may not have known about. One Sunday morning we were living in northern Missouri and I went to town and got the Sunday paper. It was from Des Moines, Iowa. There was a feature story about a family that had been split up and after 40 some years they had found each other. There was a picture of an old house the 10 children called home back in Toulon, Illinois.
After reading the story I had Mom read it and we wondered if Dad might have known these people. Dad was over in the mill building welding when Mom and I showed him the paper. Once he heard their names and saw that picture he tore the paper from my hands. He dropped everything and we headed back to the house so he could make a phone call. Their family name was Dison. I forgot the full details of the deaths of the parents. After their deaths the 10 kids were on their own, but not really.
George Helle 14th generation had a sawmill at nearby Wyoming. He cut the lumber for that house in the picture and other friends help build the place. Seems everyone around helped look after their neighbors.
That was until one dark day when the people from the government showed up and took the youngest half brother away. One of the boys was working at the sawmill when someone came to tell him the do-gooders had came and took the kids. They say he ran home, to learn home would never be the same again.
Some of the Helle boys were good friends with the Dison boys. Some went off to the big war and came home to start life over again. Kenneth Dison, known a Buck later became the Sheriff of Knox county Illinois. One of his daughters had a great desire to try and help her Dad find his brothers and sisters that were taken away and placed with families all over the Midwest. This special fathers day they were all (that were still alive) getting together. Dad made the phone call, Buck said that phone call from Gene Helle was the real high of the day.
Buck and his brother Hinson came to see Dad. They gave us a piece of wood from the old house as it had just been torn down. My brother George and I were told that in his eyes no man was ever any better than George Helle was.
Many of you have seen the famous picture of our grandfather and his ten boys. Well Buck had one of those pictures too and he carried it with him all the way through the fighting of the war in the South Pacific.
Under the eyes and help of good people like our grandparents I feel the Dison's would have been better off without the help of the government. The govt. is the main reasons that family and friends don't take care and look after one another today. Every one thinks that the govt. will bless us all with love and good blessings-----Happy New Year Brad
Harry McCluen is the brother of Lee Helle's mother, Geraldine
