Prelude to Royle Helle and his wife Alta ( Fouts ) Helle
by daughter to Maria Theresa ( Helle ) Fouts
======================================================================
Tracy and Sherm
MARIA THERESA "TRACY" HELLE, 14g (Frederick 13)
b.Bushnell, IL; Mar. 1869
d.EllisviIle, IL; at home; May 1928
br. ElIisville, IL; Wiley Cemetery
m.Lewistown, IL; Dec. 1895 ROBERT SHERMAN "SHERM" son of George and Eliza M. Fouts
b.Ellisville, IL; Sep. 1866
d.Ellisville, IL; at home; July 1928
br. Ellisville, IL; Wiley Cemetery
MARIA THERESA "TRACY" HELLE was the sixth child of a family of thirteen children of Frederick and Katharine Frances (Krauser) Helle. According to diaries kept by Tracy, daughter, Alta, and sister, Dena and information gathered from various relatives and friends, Tracy was a very quiet, hard - working woman. She received numerous letters and beautiful cards from her many relatives and friends. Many of these are in the possession of her oldest grandchild, Ava (Helle) Boyce. Tracy was especially close to her older sister, Dena Kuehn, and a younger sister, Kate Blout. Sister, Kate, lived a mile south and part of their family farms joined each other.
As teenagers, Dena and Tracy spent some of their spare time picking wild blackberries which were traded at a grocery store in Smithfield for necessary items. One frivolous purchase was a beautiful glass candy or square cake dish with a glass cover which has been handed down through the generations. The girls gave it to their mother. Dena had it for quite some time and then gave it to Tracy who gave it to her daughter, Alta. Alta gave it to her oldest daughter, Ava (Helle) Boyce.
The diaries kept by Tracy give details of a quiet farm woman's life in the early 1900's. Her greatest enjoyment was listening to an old Edison Phonograph in earlier years and listening to the radio from 1926 on. She had a record collection that would be the envy of her great - grandchildren in the stereo era. Several hundred cylinder records have survived the years.
Many hours were spent on necessary sewing construction. All dresses, slips, underwear, towels, household items and baby layette were hand - constructed. She made numerous quilts, crocheted bedspreads, tablecloths, dresser scarves for her own household as well as gifts for neighbors, friends and relatives. She crocheted rugs in 1926 which a great - grandson and wife used as "mud rugs" in 1980. A great - granddaughter uses one of Tracy's crocheted bedspreads as a sofa throw in her home in 1985. These items were made to be used and used!
Tracy's marriage to ROBERT SHERMAN "SHERM" FOISTS made at least four different publications according to newspaper clippings kept by her sister, Dena Kuehn:
"Sherman Fouts and Miss Tracy Helle were married in Lewistown on Monday, Dec. 16, 1895. The TIMES (London Mills Times) extends its warmest congratulations and trusts that Mr. and Mrs. Fouts may have a pleasant journy down life's pathway.
"There were some aggravating circumstances to these young people connected with the above event, and it isn't exactly 'telling tales out of school' for the writer to tell them now that they have ended happily. The wedding was to have taken place at the home of the bride's parents, Mr. Fred Helle, south east of here, on Sunday. The license, a necessary adjunct to such an event, was sent for early in the week preceding. Sunday morning at last came, but the license came not, yet the parties thought probably some other member of the family had received the precious document out of the office and would bring it with them. The guests arrived, Squire Mitchell among the number, he coming to officiate. The wedding dinner was ready, and then it was discovered that the license had really not been received at all. Two friends were immediately dispatched to Lewistown to find out what caused the delay and to bring the lost paper. When they arrived there they found both the clerk and his deputy out of the city spending Sunday with relatives. They learned, however, that the license had been issued in regular form and mailed on Wednesday. With this unsatisfactory news they returned to Mr. Helle's and the guests and the Squire were obliged to return home, having eaten of the wedding dinner but having failed to witness the ceremony and kiss the bride. So on Monday the young couple went to Lewistown and were married there as noted above."
Tracy and Sherm had a daughter:
ALTA FLORA FOISTS, 15g
b.Ellisville, IL; 26 Feb. 1899
Sherman Fouts was the sixth child in a family of eight children of George and Eliza Fouts of rural Ellisville. He was the youngest son. In 1870 his parents bought a farm bordered by Spoon River on three sides four miles south of Ellisville in Lee Township. (The farm was certified as a Centennial Farm in 1972.) His grandparents had come to Illinois with his parents and lived on the farm; thereby, making Sherman and his brothers and sisters the third generation to live there. Daughter, Alta, was the fourth; her five children the fifth; her grandson, Jerry Boyce, the sixth; and his children, Melanie and Andrew Boyce, the seventh.
In the 1880's Sherman traveled to the Northwest on an extended trip but, after seeking his fortunes, decided the old homeplace was most agreeable. According to an abstract of the home farm, a will dated Oct. 9, 1899, states: "I advise that my son R. S. Fouts is to remain on my farm in Lee township as long as he and his mother Eliza M. Fouts can mutually agree. [signed George Fouts."
According to diaries kept by his wife, Tracy, and daughter, Alta, Sherman led a busy life right up to his last years. He was a member of Ellisville Oddfellow Lodge and held several different stations on local and state levels. He enjoyed going to Sunday School since frequent mention was made of his walking to "Shanghai," Mt. Pleasant Sunday School, one and one-half miles east of his home for Sunday services. He also attended services at Wiley Church and in Ellisville. He was a member of Lee Township Farm Bureau in 1922 according to one entry in the diary of his wife. He served as a telephone line repairman for the old country lines in his neighborhood.
The diaries reveal that in his later years he worked frequently with his daughter in doing such chores as fixing fences, planting potatoes, hauling straw, cutting wood, etc. Extra help was provided by neighbors and relatives.
Recreation for men consisted of listening to radio and phonograph, reading, pitching horseshoes, hunting, fishing and visiting with their many relatives and friends.
Apparently, the couple prospered enough to purchase the Fouts home place. According to the legal deed, Tracy assumed ownership in her name in 1918. This was most unusual and the reason is not known to this generation.
Her daughter, Alta, then became heir in 1928 and owned it until her death in 1974. In 1975, the farm was divided and purchased by Alta's daughter, Ava, and family, and daughter-in-law, Ilene (Jones) Helle, and family.
Tracy's last diary entry was made on May 25, 1928: "Am worse. Called the DR but he was sick. Sherm planted com. Hazel and Donna (neighbors) here. Men fixing (road) sewer." An obituary clipping from The Fulton Democrat, Lewistown, reads:
Mrs. Sherman Fouts aged 59 years passed away at her home in Lee township Saturday forenoon. She was, before her marriage, Miss Tracy Helle, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Helle, Sr. of this place. Besides her husband she leaves one daughter Alta Fouts at home; also one brother and five sisters. Funeral services were held Tuesday at 11 o'clock at the Wiley Church and the body was laid to rest in the adjoining cemetery.
Sherman followed her in death just five and one - half weeks later. His obituary is from a clipping from the Canton Daily Ledger:
Robert Sherman Fonts Dies in Babylon Bend Fairview, Ill.
Robert Sherman Fouts, well known resident in the vicinity of Babylon Bend, died at his home there July 6 following a short illness.
He was born in Ellisville, the son of George and Elizabeth Fouts on September 9, 1866. He had made his home at the same place near Ellisville for 58 years. On Dec. 16, 1895, he was married to Miss Theresa Helle, who preceded him in death less than two months ago.
Surviving are one child, Miss Alta, at home, one brother George of near Lewistown and two sisters, Mrs. Emma Kuter of Keokuk, Iowa, and Mrs. Flora Jenkins of Gentry, Arkansas. Four brothers and sisters preceded him in death.
Mr. Fouts was a well known member of the Ellisville, I. 0.0. F. and had held many offices in that lodge during his lifetime.
Funeral services will be held at the Wiley Church on Tuesday afternoon at 2 o'clock with Rev. N. A. Miller of Canton officiating. Burial will be made in the adjoining cemetery with members of the Odd Fellow Lodge of Ellisville in charge of rites at the grave.
======================================================================
Alta and Royle
ALTA FLORA FOUTS, 15g (Tracy Helle, 14, Frederick 13)
b.Ellisville, IL; 26 Feb. 1899
d.Macomb, IL; 13 Sep. 1974
br. Ellisville, IL; Wiley Lutheran Cemetery
m.Kahoka, MO; 3 Aug. 1929 ROYLE GEORGE HELLE, 15g (George A.14, Frederick 13); son of George Adam and Ida Lodema (Kaler) Helle; b.Smithfield, IL; 23 Feb. 1904; d.Canton, IL; 30 Sep. 1979; br. Ellisville, IL; Wiley Lutheran Cemetery
ALTA FLORA FOUTS, only child of Sherman and Tracy (Helle) Fouts, grew up on the Fout's family farm southwest of Ellisville in the bend (Babylon Bend) of Spoon River. She was trained by her parents to know that farm like few people ever know a farm. She helped her father with fencing projects, animals and crops and her mother with gardening and homemaking projects. She drove the family car at the age of thirteen since her parents did not want to drive. The car salesman thought someone ought to be taught something about the vehicle before he turned it over to the family. Alta's father did learn to drive it later on, but, generally, she was the driver. She was quite proud of the fact that she never struck another vehicle. She drove a car until a stroke in June of 1974 left her paralyzed until her death in September of that year.
Alta kept a detailed diary of all fanning activities, weather conditions, farm and home improvements, facts on cattle pedigrees, hatching of turkeys and chickens and goings on of friends and family. She had a reputation as an excellent marksman in gun shooting contests. She could and did shoot squirrels and rabbits for food in early years. She played horseshoes with her father. With her mother as a teacher she knitted, crocheted, tatted, embroidered and sewed everything from underwear to dress coats. In her lifetime she quilted approximately 50 quilts; baby quilts to regular size bed quilts. She could use a hammer and saw as well as most men. Her husband would boast that she could guess the weight of a hog as accurately as most men; but at the same time, she could bring a smile to the tiniest child as she poked a spoonful of cereal down the child's throat.
At age thirty Alta married ROYLE GEORGE HELLE and they became the parents of:
AVA JANENE HELLE, 16g
b. 09 April 1930; Canton, IL
d. 07 Jan 1994; Canton, IL
br: Locust Lane United Methodist Church Cemetery, Fulton County, IL
LEILA JANETA HELLE, 16g
b. 07 Sept 1931; Ellisville, IL
d. 08 Sept 2014; Tucson, AR
br. Unknown
NORMAN JEAN HELLE, 16g
b. 28 Aug 1932; Ellisville, IL
d. 07 Jan 2013; Prairie City, IL
br. Cremated. Location of ashes unknown
LODEMA JOYCE HELLE, 16g
b. 22 Oct 1934; Ellisville, IL
d. 21 Feb 1948; Bushnell, IL
br. Wiley Cemetery, Blyton, IL
ROYLE GLEN "GLEN" HELLE, 16g
b. 19 April 1936; Ellisville, IL
Alta corresponded with relatives and friends from all over the world; including the Krauser and Helle cousins in Germany. She worked faithfully as a school board member at Mt. Pleasant. She was a member of the Lutheran Church at Zion and later at Wiley Lutheran Church. She also attended many activities at the Checkrow Community Church and Bushnell Methodist Church. She was an active member of the 4-B Sewing Club for many years.
Alta's saddest times in her life were at the time of her parents' deaths in 1928 and twenty years later in February of 1948 when her third daughter, Joyce, died. As she ruefully confided to her remaining family, "The Gods Were Angry With Me For Being So Happy," and she was happy with her five children and husband. Her first child was born when she was thirty - one years of age. It took adjusting on her part to take care of five children after being raised as an only child.
Although she was denied the opportunity to attend high school or college due to her remote rural location and her parents' health and needs, she was very interested in education. She took correspondence courses, read everything she could get her hands on and, thus, taught herself. Her proudest moments were when her children graduated from high school. Later years brought college graduation for her daughters and a daughter - in law; and college attendance for both of her sons.
Royle George Helle, second son of George and Ida (Kaler) Helle, thrived on the love of family, friends, music and farming. With nine brothers, three sisters, parents and other relatives in his childhood home, he grew up thinking it very lonely indeed with just a handful of people.
Royle graduated from Cuba High School, Cuba, Illinois, and attended a few months of school at a trade school in the Chicago area and briefly attended Jacksonville College in Jacksonville, Illinois. His most different type of education was secured when he traveled with a carnival one summer. This gave him an exposure to different people in many different states. He played clarinet, piano, drums and saxophone as needed. He was well enough versed in music to be able to teach guitar, banjo and accordian. In later years he played the piano, violin and saw. He would tape the piano part; play the violin with the tape of the piano part and tape it, then take the tape of the piano and violin being played together and play the saw to produce just what he wanted; one man playing all three instruments. Of course, he always said, "I'm a fiddler. My brother, Delbert, is a violinist."
Royle could play any saw; even his grandson's toy saw produced songs such as "Peggy O'Neal" when his skilled hands and fiddle bow plied it. Performing for church and community events gave him particular enjoyment. He tuned pianos, gave music lessons and repaired musical instruments for just a " Thank You"
Songs, letters, articles and poems flowed from his hands.
One poem, untitled, was written sometime between 1974 and 1979 and is a tribute to his parents, Alta - his wife -, daughter Joyce, sister June, brother Don, nephews Lyle, Richard, and Bumette, niece Phyllis Helle, grandson Samuel Edward Boyce and many dear cousins, friends and grandparents.
As we travel down the vale of tears
We have our hopes and our tears
We have our sorrows as well as fun
Then we take leave of a loved one.
The smile on our face is just of the skin
It is a mask to hide the heartache within
The world hears the laugh on the outside
But doesn't notice the cry on the inside.
Oh, yes, in just a little while
We, too, will travel our last mile
And with a smile we will grab each hand
Of our loved ones in that Promised Land.
We will be crying with joy on the outside
While filled with happiness on the inside
When we reach that golden shore
Where the sun shines forever more.
There our loved ones shall wait
To greet us at the Golden Gate
And with a smile shall erase
All those sorrows from our face.
No more grief that sight will destroy
Life was not all music and poetry for Royle. He worked hard as a farmer on Spoon River from 1929 into the 1970's. He did some lumbering with his father and brothers from his late teens to 1925. He was a person who found it easy to work with a group and was proud to represent McDonough County one year at a state Farm Bureau meeting. He was a lifelong member of the Lee Township Farm Bureau, holding many offices in that organization. He served as a member of the Mid Century Telephone Company when it was first organized. He was also a Mt. Pleasant school director and enjoyed working with the community.
(All biographical information was written by daughter, Ava (Helle) Boyce.)
"I Remember.. ."
by Paula Jean (Helle) Hopping, granddaughter
My fondest childhood memories are of my grandparents; Royle and Alta Helle. My grandmother taught me to love and appreciate the fruits of hard labor. I remember how hard she worked in her gardens and flowerbeds from sunrise to sunset and then canning and freezing in the evenings. When she would finish, she would sit in her favorite rocking chair and record the day's events in a diary. She knew some day her great - grandchildren would want to know more about her.
Grandpa loved music; everything was musical - baling hay, cherries bouncing in the bottom of a pail -- it was all music to him. After all, how many people do you know who play a saw? two bows, no less! At the age of six he had me cording on the piano while he played fiddle tunes. Not too long after, Grandpa had his granddaughters performing here and there with him; for awhile it was every weekend.
A book could be written about the life of Royle Helle, but to simplify, he loved people and people loved him! He will long be remembered.
by daughter to Maria Theresa ( Helle ) Fouts
======================================================================
Tracy and Sherm
MARIA THERESA "TRACY" HELLE, 14g (Frederick 13)
b.Bushnell, IL; Mar. 1869
d.EllisviIle, IL; at home; May 1928
br. ElIisville, IL; Wiley Cemetery
m.Lewistown, IL; Dec. 1895 ROBERT SHERMAN "SHERM" son of George and Eliza M. Fouts
b.Ellisville, IL; Sep. 1866
d.Ellisville, IL; at home; July 1928
br. Ellisville, IL; Wiley Cemetery
MARIA THERESA "TRACY" HELLE was the sixth child of a family of thirteen children of Frederick and Katharine Frances (Krauser) Helle. According to diaries kept by Tracy, daughter, Alta, and sister, Dena and information gathered from various relatives and friends, Tracy was a very quiet, hard - working woman. She received numerous letters and beautiful cards from her many relatives and friends. Many of these are in the possession of her oldest grandchild, Ava (Helle) Boyce. Tracy was especially close to her older sister, Dena Kuehn, and a younger sister, Kate Blout. Sister, Kate, lived a mile south and part of their family farms joined each other.
As teenagers, Dena and Tracy spent some of their spare time picking wild blackberries which were traded at a grocery store in Smithfield for necessary items. One frivolous purchase was a beautiful glass candy or square cake dish with a glass cover which has been handed down through the generations. The girls gave it to their mother. Dena had it for quite some time and then gave it to Tracy who gave it to her daughter, Alta. Alta gave it to her oldest daughter, Ava (Helle) Boyce.
The diaries kept by Tracy give details of a quiet farm woman's life in the early 1900's. Her greatest enjoyment was listening to an old Edison Phonograph in earlier years and listening to the radio from 1926 on. She had a record collection that would be the envy of her great - grandchildren in the stereo era. Several hundred cylinder records have survived the years.
Many hours were spent on necessary sewing construction. All dresses, slips, underwear, towels, household items and baby layette were hand - constructed. She made numerous quilts, crocheted bedspreads, tablecloths, dresser scarves for her own household as well as gifts for neighbors, friends and relatives. She crocheted rugs in 1926 which a great - grandson and wife used as "mud rugs" in 1980. A great - granddaughter uses one of Tracy's crocheted bedspreads as a sofa throw in her home in 1985. These items were made to be used and used!
Tracy's marriage to ROBERT SHERMAN "SHERM" FOISTS made at least four different publications according to newspaper clippings kept by her sister, Dena Kuehn:
"Sherman Fouts and Miss Tracy Helle were married in Lewistown on Monday, Dec. 16, 1895. The TIMES (London Mills Times) extends its warmest congratulations and trusts that Mr. and Mrs. Fouts may have a pleasant journy down life's pathway.
"There were some aggravating circumstances to these young people connected with the above event, and it isn't exactly 'telling tales out of school' for the writer to tell them now that they have ended happily. The wedding was to have taken place at the home of the bride's parents, Mr. Fred Helle, south east of here, on Sunday. The license, a necessary adjunct to such an event, was sent for early in the week preceding. Sunday morning at last came, but the license came not, yet the parties thought probably some other member of the family had received the precious document out of the office and would bring it with them. The guests arrived, Squire Mitchell among the number, he coming to officiate. The wedding dinner was ready, and then it was discovered that the license had really not been received at all. Two friends were immediately dispatched to Lewistown to find out what caused the delay and to bring the lost paper. When they arrived there they found both the clerk and his deputy out of the city spending Sunday with relatives. They learned, however, that the license had been issued in regular form and mailed on Wednesday. With this unsatisfactory news they returned to Mr. Helle's and the guests and the Squire were obliged to return home, having eaten of the wedding dinner but having failed to witness the ceremony and kiss the bride. So on Monday the young couple went to Lewistown and were married there as noted above."
Tracy and Sherm had a daughter:
ALTA FLORA FOISTS, 15g
b.Ellisville, IL; 26 Feb. 1899
Sherman Fouts was the sixth child in a family of eight children of George and Eliza Fouts of rural Ellisville. He was the youngest son. In 1870 his parents bought a farm bordered by Spoon River on three sides four miles south of Ellisville in Lee Township. (The farm was certified as a Centennial Farm in 1972.) His grandparents had come to Illinois with his parents and lived on the farm; thereby, making Sherman and his brothers and sisters the third generation to live there. Daughter, Alta, was the fourth; her five children the fifth; her grandson, Jerry Boyce, the sixth; and his children, Melanie and Andrew Boyce, the seventh.
In the 1880's Sherman traveled to the Northwest on an extended trip but, after seeking his fortunes, decided the old homeplace was most agreeable. According to an abstract of the home farm, a will dated Oct. 9, 1899, states: "I advise that my son R. S. Fouts is to remain on my farm in Lee township as long as he and his mother Eliza M. Fouts can mutually agree. [signed George Fouts."
According to diaries kept by his wife, Tracy, and daughter, Alta, Sherman led a busy life right up to his last years. He was a member of Ellisville Oddfellow Lodge and held several different stations on local and state levels. He enjoyed going to Sunday School since frequent mention was made of his walking to "Shanghai," Mt. Pleasant Sunday School, one and one-half miles east of his home for Sunday services. He also attended services at Wiley Church and in Ellisville. He was a member of Lee Township Farm Bureau in 1922 according to one entry in the diary of his wife. He served as a telephone line repairman for the old country lines in his neighborhood.
The diaries reveal that in his later years he worked frequently with his daughter in doing such chores as fixing fences, planting potatoes, hauling straw, cutting wood, etc. Extra help was provided by neighbors and relatives.
Recreation for men consisted of listening to radio and phonograph, reading, pitching horseshoes, hunting, fishing and visiting with their many relatives and friends.
Apparently, the couple prospered enough to purchase the Fouts home place. According to the legal deed, Tracy assumed ownership in her name in 1918. This was most unusual and the reason is not known to this generation.
Her daughter, Alta, then became heir in 1928 and owned it until her death in 1974. In 1975, the farm was divided and purchased by Alta's daughter, Ava, and family, and daughter-in-law, Ilene (Jones) Helle, and family.
Tracy's last diary entry was made on May 25, 1928: "Am worse. Called the DR but he was sick. Sherm planted com. Hazel and Donna (neighbors) here. Men fixing (road) sewer." An obituary clipping from The Fulton Democrat, Lewistown, reads:
Mrs. Sherman Fouts aged 59 years passed away at her home in Lee township Saturday forenoon. She was, before her marriage, Miss Tracy Helle, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Helle, Sr. of this place. Besides her husband she leaves one daughter Alta Fouts at home; also one brother and five sisters. Funeral services were held Tuesday at 11 o'clock at the Wiley Church and the body was laid to rest in the adjoining cemetery.
Sherman followed her in death just five and one - half weeks later. His obituary is from a clipping from the Canton Daily Ledger:
Robert Sherman Fonts Dies in Babylon Bend Fairview, Ill.
Robert Sherman Fouts, well known resident in the vicinity of Babylon Bend, died at his home there July 6 following a short illness.
He was born in Ellisville, the son of George and Elizabeth Fouts on September 9, 1866. He had made his home at the same place near Ellisville for 58 years. On Dec. 16, 1895, he was married to Miss Theresa Helle, who preceded him in death less than two months ago.
Surviving are one child, Miss Alta, at home, one brother George of near Lewistown and two sisters, Mrs. Emma Kuter of Keokuk, Iowa, and Mrs. Flora Jenkins of Gentry, Arkansas. Four brothers and sisters preceded him in death.
Mr. Fouts was a well known member of the Ellisville, I. 0.0. F. and had held many offices in that lodge during his lifetime.
Funeral services will be held at the Wiley Church on Tuesday afternoon at 2 o'clock with Rev. N. A. Miller of Canton officiating. Burial will be made in the adjoining cemetery with members of the Odd Fellow Lodge of Ellisville in charge of rites at the grave.
======================================================================
Alta and Royle
ALTA FLORA FOUTS, 15g (Tracy Helle, 14, Frederick 13)
b.Ellisville, IL; 26 Feb. 1899
d.Macomb, IL; 13 Sep. 1974
br. Ellisville, IL; Wiley Lutheran Cemetery
m.Kahoka, MO; 3 Aug. 1929 ROYLE GEORGE HELLE, 15g (George A.14, Frederick 13); son of George Adam and Ida Lodema (Kaler) Helle; b.Smithfield, IL; 23 Feb. 1904; d.Canton, IL; 30 Sep. 1979; br. Ellisville, IL; Wiley Lutheran Cemetery
ALTA FLORA FOUTS, only child of Sherman and Tracy (Helle) Fouts, grew up on the Fout's family farm southwest of Ellisville in the bend (Babylon Bend) of Spoon River. She was trained by her parents to know that farm like few people ever know a farm. She helped her father with fencing projects, animals and crops and her mother with gardening and homemaking projects. She drove the family car at the age of thirteen since her parents did not want to drive. The car salesman thought someone ought to be taught something about the vehicle before he turned it over to the family. Alta's father did learn to drive it later on, but, generally, she was the driver. She was quite proud of the fact that she never struck another vehicle. She drove a car until a stroke in June of 1974 left her paralyzed until her death in September of that year.
Alta kept a detailed diary of all fanning activities, weather conditions, farm and home improvements, facts on cattle pedigrees, hatching of turkeys and chickens and goings on of friends and family. She had a reputation as an excellent marksman in gun shooting contests. She could and did shoot squirrels and rabbits for food in early years. She played horseshoes with her father. With her mother as a teacher she knitted, crocheted, tatted, embroidered and sewed everything from underwear to dress coats. In her lifetime she quilted approximately 50 quilts; baby quilts to regular size bed quilts. She could use a hammer and saw as well as most men. Her husband would boast that she could guess the weight of a hog as accurately as most men; but at the same time, she could bring a smile to the tiniest child as she poked a spoonful of cereal down the child's throat.
At age thirty Alta married ROYLE GEORGE HELLE and they became the parents of:
AVA JANENE HELLE, 16g
b. 09 April 1930; Canton, IL
d. 07 Jan 1994; Canton, IL
br: Locust Lane United Methodist Church Cemetery, Fulton County, IL
LEILA JANETA HELLE, 16g
b. 07 Sept 1931; Ellisville, IL
d. 08 Sept 2014; Tucson, AR
br. Unknown
NORMAN JEAN HELLE, 16g
b. 28 Aug 1932; Ellisville, IL
d. 07 Jan 2013; Prairie City, IL
br. Cremated. Location of ashes unknown
LODEMA JOYCE HELLE, 16g
b. 22 Oct 1934; Ellisville, IL
d. 21 Feb 1948; Bushnell, IL
br. Wiley Cemetery, Blyton, IL
ROYLE GLEN "GLEN" HELLE, 16g
b. 19 April 1936; Ellisville, IL
Alta corresponded with relatives and friends from all over the world; including the Krauser and Helle cousins in Germany. She worked faithfully as a school board member at Mt. Pleasant. She was a member of the Lutheran Church at Zion and later at Wiley Lutheran Church. She also attended many activities at the Checkrow Community Church and Bushnell Methodist Church. She was an active member of the 4-B Sewing Club for many years.
Alta's saddest times in her life were at the time of her parents' deaths in 1928 and twenty years later in February of 1948 when her third daughter, Joyce, died. As she ruefully confided to her remaining family, "The Gods Were Angry With Me For Being So Happy," and she was happy with her five children and husband. Her first child was born when she was thirty - one years of age. It took adjusting on her part to take care of five children after being raised as an only child.
Although she was denied the opportunity to attend high school or college due to her remote rural location and her parents' health and needs, she was very interested in education. She took correspondence courses, read everything she could get her hands on and, thus, taught herself. Her proudest moments were when her children graduated from high school. Later years brought college graduation for her daughters and a daughter - in law; and college attendance for both of her sons.
Royle George Helle, second son of George and Ida (Kaler) Helle, thrived on the love of family, friends, music and farming. With nine brothers, three sisters, parents and other relatives in his childhood home, he grew up thinking it very lonely indeed with just a handful of people.
Royle graduated from Cuba High School, Cuba, Illinois, and attended a few months of school at a trade school in the Chicago area and briefly attended Jacksonville College in Jacksonville, Illinois. His most different type of education was secured when he traveled with a carnival one summer. This gave him an exposure to different people in many different states. He played clarinet, piano, drums and saxophone as needed. He was well enough versed in music to be able to teach guitar, banjo and accordian. In later years he played the piano, violin and saw. He would tape the piano part; play the violin with the tape of the piano part and tape it, then take the tape of the piano and violin being played together and play the saw to produce just what he wanted; one man playing all three instruments. Of course, he always said, "I'm a fiddler. My brother, Delbert, is a violinist."
Royle could play any saw; even his grandson's toy saw produced songs such as "Peggy O'Neal" when his skilled hands and fiddle bow plied it. Performing for church and community events gave him particular enjoyment. He tuned pianos, gave music lessons and repaired musical instruments for just a " Thank You"
Songs, letters, articles and poems flowed from his hands.
One poem, untitled, was written sometime between 1974 and 1979 and is a tribute to his parents, Alta - his wife -, daughter Joyce, sister June, brother Don, nephews Lyle, Richard, and Bumette, niece Phyllis Helle, grandson Samuel Edward Boyce and many dear cousins, friends and grandparents.
As we travel down the vale of tears
We have our hopes and our tears
We have our sorrows as well as fun
Then we take leave of a loved one.
The smile on our face is just of the skin
It is a mask to hide the heartache within
The world hears the laugh on the outside
But doesn't notice the cry on the inside.
Oh, yes, in just a little while
We, too, will travel our last mile
And with a smile we will grab each hand
Of our loved ones in that Promised Land.
We will be crying with joy on the outside
While filled with happiness on the inside
When we reach that golden shore
Where the sun shines forever more.
There our loved ones shall wait
To greet us at the Golden Gate
And with a smile shall erase
All those sorrows from our face.
No more grief that sight will destroy
Life was not all music and poetry for Royle. He worked hard as a farmer on Spoon River from 1929 into the 1970's. He did some lumbering with his father and brothers from his late teens to 1925. He was a person who found it easy to work with a group and was proud to represent McDonough County one year at a state Farm Bureau meeting. He was a lifelong member of the Lee Township Farm Bureau, holding many offices in that organization. He served as a member of the Mid Century Telephone Company when it was first organized. He was also a Mt. Pleasant school director and enjoyed working with the community.
(All biographical information was written by daughter, Ava (Helle) Boyce.)
"I Remember.. ."
by Paula Jean (Helle) Hopping, granddaughter
My fondest childhood memories are of my grandparents; Royle and Alta Helle. My grandmother taught me to love and appreciate the fruits of hard labor. I remember how hard she worked in her gardens and flowerbeds from sunrise to sunset and then canning and freezing in the evenings. When she would finish, she would sit in her favorite rocking chair and record the day's events in a diary. She knew some day her great - grandchildren would want to know more about her.
Grandpa loved music; everything was musical - baling hay, cherries bouncing in the bottom of a pail -- it was all music to him. After all, how many people do you know who play a saw? two bows, no less! At the age of six he had me cording on the piano while he played fiddle tunes. Not too long after, Grandpa had his granddaughters performing here and there with him; for awhile it was every weekend.
A book could be written about the life of Royle Helle, but to simplify, he loved people and people loved him! He will long be remembered.
ROYLE HELLE
Royle George Helle was my grandfather. He was my next door neighbor. He was my teacher and my friend. Twenty years after his death he remains my main source of inspiration and motivation. I would like to share my memories of this special man.
As a preschooler, my world was a four-mile radius around a place called Babylon Bend. A half a mile to the east was my Uncle Glen's house. A quarter mile to the west was Grandma and Grandpa Helle's house. Family was a way of life, with the center of activity being Grandma and Grandpas' place. It was a pretty nice start for any kid.
First, I should tell you what I know, (or think I know) about my grandparents' beginnings. Grandpa was the son of George Helle, son of Fredrick. Grandma, (Alta Flora) was the daughter of Tracy Helle Fouts, daughter of Fredrick. As the math goes, that would make my grandparents first cousins. Although we don't mention it much, my father has said more than once that this was the source of several fist fight between him and other cousins.
Alta's parents both died within a relatively short time of each other and she found herself a young woman alone on the farm. My understanding is that Royle helped her run the place and this is how their relationship came to be. They eloped in Missouri. It was told to me that Grandma recalled when she was a young woman all alone, that the nights were painfully dark and lonely. There were no lights in the distance, other than the stars. She said the break of dawn brought her enormous peace. When I found myself divorced with two babies living in my farm house I drew on her strength. . .and I could see the light of neighbors' houses! The fact that I could pick up a phone and call my mom didn't hurt, either. Truth is, I can't imagine what that must have been like, but I bet Royle seemed like a knight in shining armor. Following their wedding they returned to the farm where they brought 5 children into the world. First Ava, then Leila, then Norman, Glen and finally Lodema Joyce. Considering that my grandfather claimed he could play 64 different instruments, you can bet that there was music in the house. One of my favorite photographs is of him and his five-piece "Helle Band", or more appropriate: "Bandits".
They eked out a living during the Depression. Dad told me that one year they could only show an income of $64. But, there were chickens and milk cows and gardening, and so they survived. When WW II broke out, Royle watched his beloved younger brothers heading out in service to their country. I'm told he wrote one of his best poems (no doubt, a tad bit awnry and crude) and mailed it to his brother Gene (at least I think that's who he sent it to) who was stationed in San Francisco. As I understand it, one month later brother Verle was sent to the Philippines and while going to the restroom (where all the good political authors of the day got published), read a funny verse that ended up being the very poem his brother had written. I'd appreciate any relative that can confirm the validity of that story, if anyone has record of the poem itself, I'd love to have a copy.
During the war, it is my understanding that the country was a little paranoid concerning some of it's citizens with German ancestrage. Royle was always vocal about his political convictions, and although he was a loyal American through and through, I guess he wasn't a member of the FDR fan club. At one point FBI or the CIA, or some member of the alphabet soup that is our government came out to ask him some questions. Turned out a "concerned neighbor" had turned him in for being a suspicious character. "Character", yes, "Suspicious", hardly! The fact that the neighbor was a blood relative didn't sit too well. However, I can attest that my grandfather's love of family was far more predominant than his memory. I can say without a doubt that he forgave and forgot. Grandma was much better at holding a grudge and I saw trickles of that particular one when I was a child, but at the time I didn't know why.
It wasn't too long after this that my grandparents purchased a farm on the prairie near Bushnell, IL. Grandma never like it. She preferred the beautiful hills of Spoon River where she'd been raised, even though the rich soil of the prairie had to be more prosperous than the river bottom. It was while living at this farm that my aunt Joyce became ill. She kept a diary that is a delight to read. She truly enjoyed life, the neighbor kids, school work, and especially her family. The last entry is dated in February, 1948. It says "Ava and I didn't feel very good today". Ava got better. Joyce did not. The hospitals feared outbreaks and sent Joyce home, where she lapsed into a coma and eventually died at the tender age of 13 from complications of pneumonia. My father recalled the principal at Bushnell calling a cab and sending the Helle kids home for fear they all had some contagious disease. When the cab driver asked Royle for the fare, he told him to go to Hell. Joyce was buried next to her grandma and grandpa Fouts in the Wiley Lutheran Cemetery near Blyton. I am told that while being comforted by one of his siblings, Royle laughed following the funeral. Alta was very wounded by this. This might explain the relationship I observed between my grandparents. Dad says Grandma was never really the same following Joyce's death. Grandma had many emotional lows to deal with in her life which may have had a lot to do with the somber woman I remember, . . .that, and being a staunch Lutheran.
For obvious reasons, the Bushnell farm never held the same appeal, and the family returned to Babylon Bend. My dad had one more year of high school, and was allowed to finish his education in Bushnell. My uncle Glen graduated from the Spoon River Valley school District in Fairview. In the next decade give or take a few years, the children made lives of their own. Soon, Royle and Alta took on new roles as "Grandma and Grandpa".
And now, through the eyes of this child. . . I recall a man in bib overalls, (if it was summer you could guarantee no shirt). I'll never forget taking one last bike ride at dusk on a hot summer night when I was 8 or so. I could hear Grandpa playing the piano and I was drawn to sneak up and take a peek, maybe "surprise" him. I walked on the front porch past Grandma's bedroom window, where she lay reading her bible, and up to the open parlor door where I got the surprise! Grandpa was sitting "buck-naked", ripping out tunes on his "piany". I believe I belly-crawled off the porch like a soldier in combat, and hurried down the rode on my bike. I couldn't bring myself to tell anyone until years after his death. Today I chuckle every time I think of it! He loved to laugh, to tell jokes, and re-tell jokes. When he'd introduce me to a new hymn, tears would well up in his eyes and his voice would crack as he'd stress the meaning of the lyrics to me; songs like "The Old Rugged Cross", and "Beyond The Sunset". He was as good a listener as a story teller. He made people feel "special". This couldn't have been more true than for his grandkids. I recall hot summer afternoons, he'd take out his thin-worn pocket knife and slice open a watermelon and divide amongst a gaggle of sweaty little grandkids. How he'd howl with delight as we'd try to out eat one another! Little boys with bare bellies that expanded till they looked like they'd swallowed a basketball, with red, sticky stains extending from their chins to their belly buttons, Grandpa would always want to finish the event with one last challenge. The boys would all take their turn climbing the living room doorway with their legs at a 45o angle from the knees. If it wasn't that, then it was "who could make the best arm-pit noises". These were "rights of passage" that us girls weren't invited to participate in. We did get our special time, however. It almost always involved the parlor, where we'd sing and eventually learn how to play the musical saw.
Probably because I lived the closest, (and therefore the law of averages gave me an advantage), Grandpa taught me to accompany him on the piano (or "piany", as he'd say) with a basic 8 measure, three chord vamp that was versatile for many a fiddle tune. Then he taught me to transpose it into different keys, giving him more musical options. When I started piano lessons I took to it like a fish to water, largely because of my start with Grandpa, who taught himself to read music, of course he played largely by ear. From this point on, my life was on a path that it's never veered from. Grandpa would take me, my cousin June, her sister Norma, and once in a while our cousin Steve on performance trips. We'd sing and play the musical saw, which eventually became Grandpa's claim to fame. He played it with two fiddle bows crossed in the middle so that he got two tones (an octave apart) from his instrument of choice, a Sandvick, straight-backed saw. I proudly display it above my doorway, with the Helle coat of arms sticker that he put on it. About once a year I get it down and play it in church. It gives me an excuse to brag on the man I get to call "GRANDPA".
I eventually got pretty good at the piano, could be because every time my grandpa Royle would come over he'd tie his handkerchief around my eyes and have me play "The Beer Barrel Polka", after which he'd promptly pull out a $20 bill and hand it to me. I would have done it for free.
My grandparents also saw to it that I and their other grandchildren got to church. Wiley Lutheran church was the start of our spiritual instruction. There were several older women, (the Utsinger sisters) who attended as well. Often Grandpa would reminisce about the time he got 11 of those sisters in his car with him. It always brought an enormous smile to his face. This probably followed one of his many engagements playing at a local dance. Speaking of his youth, he graduated from Cuba High School, where his graduation picture still hangs on the wall. He attended McMurry College in Jacksonville, IL for a while. I'm sure it would please him to know Ava's granddaughter, Melanie Boyce is now receiving her higher education in the same town. He traveled with the circus band playing the clarinet or what ever else they needed him to. To look at the photo of this group, Grandpa Royle was by far the most handsome young man in the group. It's pretty safe to assume he "lived it up a little" before he settled down with Grandma.
Growing up, I didn't think my grandparents seemed to care too much for each other. To me, Grandma seemed irritated by most of what Grandpa did or said. She was a "down to business" sort of woman, and Grandpa got "side-tracked" easily by his sheer love of life. I only saw them kiss once, when Grandma was in the hospital, shortly before she died. Because I so connected with Grandpa, I resented Grandma's sternness. When all the other good Lutherans would break tradition and applaud me for some musical presentation, she would not. I knew she avoided being close to me and that hurt. There were times when I'd see Aunt Ava drive by with my cousins aboard and Grandma would call mom to ask that I "not come over today". I did not understand my grandmother until the summer she became ill. After her stroke, the family tried to care for her at home for a while. I remember being there once when she was disoriented and kept talking about "how lovely Joyce looked", as she made reference to me. For the first time I understood why she had trouble being around me, especially when my two girl cousins were there. At that time, we were 15, 14 and 12 and bore a striking resemblance to the three daughters she'd raised. I guess some things are just too painful to remember. After this I made peace with her in my heart. Now when I remember her, I see a woman in a faded cotton dress with a straw hat leaning on a hoe in the garden at the end of the day. I think of her sitting in her wooden rocker with a board across the arms to steady her diary as she documented the day's activities. I remember her sitting in bed reading her bible, no doubt ending the day with a prayer for protection over her loved ones.
When daughter Leila moved to the desert of Arizona, my grandparents enjoyed winter visits. After Grandma died in 1974, Grandpa spent the bulk of his winters living with her family. Of course he took his saw and his fiddle so he could entertain the senior citizens and school children of Ajo, Arizona. I remember seeing pictures of him being hugged with great affection by his new-found friends, dark-eyed Indian children and leathery-skinned seniors so different from our German look. . .when love is genuine, it transcends racial and cultural borders. Royle Helle was the "real thing" and anyone who knew him could tell you that.
It was so strange during his departures from Babylon Bend to look out the west window of our house and not see a light shining from Grandpa's house. I can't explain the comfort I felt when I could see that little beacon coming from his window, but to this day I find myself looking West when I'm leaving Mom and Dad's house. . in hopes. . .
Recently, the man who owns what was once the family farm where my grandparents lived told the tenant to leave, as he was fixing to tear the house down. Because of this decision, he let my dad go in and tear out the kitchen cabinets that he'd made for Grandma in the 60's. This also meant he had a key to the old home place, and my cousin June (Ava's daughter) and I met there one evening to take a stroll down memory lane. We paused at each nook and cranny in the house to experience a rush of vivid memories that I thought had long since departed from my brain. Then we did the same thing outside in the yard and in the barns. We cried and we laughed, and soon the darkness took over and we had to bring our journey to an end. How fortunate we are to have such warm and secure memories of childhood! How fortunate to have had the example of a Grandparent who adored his brothers and sisters, and each one of their descendants. How honored to be raised in an environment of respect. How blessed to be in a lineage of virtue, to see the value of hard work, the benefits of leisure time and an appreciation for the delicacy of this thing called "life", and for our God and Creator who so abundantly endows us and sustains us through the good and bad.
Being a Helle, I am certain that I can take pride in my heritage. It is obvious we share a blood line of strong-wills, perseverance, creativity and ingenuity. We have survived in rough times and thrived in bounty. The single thread that keeps this tapestry of life from unraveling is the blood that courses through our veins. Family is not what we are, but WHO we are. It defines us, body, mind and spirit. What lies ahead, only God knows, but one thing I feel quite sure of. . .long before we began our short stay on this Earth, someone prayed for the future generations of the this family. This is undoubtedly our greatest heritage and one that shows evidence of having been passed along. My hope is that we continue this tradition for the sake of our children, and their children and their children's children...
-Paula Jean Helle, 1/17/00, 17th generation
Royle George Helle was my grandfather. He was my next door neighbor. He was my teacher and my friend. Twenty years after his death he remains my main source of inspiration and motivation. I would like to share my memories of this special man.
As a preschooler, my world was a four-mile radius around a place called Babylon Bend. A half a mile to the east was my Uncle Glen's house. A quarter mile to the west was Grandma and Grandpa Helle's house. Family was a way of life, with the center of activity being Grandma and Grandpas' place. It was a pretty nice start for any kid.
First, I should tell you what I know, (or think I know) about my grandparents' beginnings. Grandpa was the son of George Helle, son of Fredrick. Grandma, (Alta Flora) was the daughter of Tracy Helle Fouts, daughter of Fredrick. As the math goes, that would make my grandparents first cousins. Although we don't mention it much, my father has said more than once that this was the source of several fist fight between him and other cousins.
Alta's parents both died within a relatively short time of each other and she found herself a young woman alone on the farm. My understanding is that Royle helped her run the place and this is how their relationship came to be. They eloped in Missouri. It was told to me that Grandma recalled when she was a young woman all alone, that the nights were painfully dark and lonely. There were no lights in the distance, other than the stars. She said the break of dawn brought her enormous peace. When I found myself divorced with two babies living in my farm house I drew on her strength. . .and I could see the light of neighbors' houses! The fact that I could pick up a phone and call my mom didn't hurt, either. Truth is, I can't imagine what that must have been like, but I bet Royle seemed like a knight in shining armor. Following their wedding they returned to the farm where they brought 5 children into the world. First Ava, then Leila, then Norman, Glen and finally Lodema Joyce. Considering that my grandfather claimed he could play 64 different instruments, you can bet that there was music in the house. One of my favorite photographs is of him and his five-piece "Helle Band", or more appropriate: "Bandits".
They eked out a living during the Depression. Dad told me that one year they could only show an income of $64. But, there were chickens and milk cows and gardening, and so they survived. When WW II broke out, Royle watched his beloved younger brothers heading out in service to their country. I'm told he wrote one of his best poems (no doubt, a tad bit awnry and crude) and mailed it to his brother Gene (at least I think that's who he sent it to) who was stationed in San Francisco. As I understand it, one month later brother Verle was sent to the Philippines and while going to the restroom (where all the good political authors of the day got published), read a funny verse that ended up being the very poem his brother had written. I'd appreciate any relative that can confirm the validity of that story, if anyone has record of the poem itself, I'd love to have a copy.
During the war, it is my understanding that the country was a little paranoid concerning some of it's citizens with German ancestrage. Royle was always vocal about his political convictions, and although he was a loyal American through and through, I guess he wasn't a member of the FDR fan club. At one point FBI or the CIA, or some member of the alphabet soup that is our government came out to ask him some questions. Turned out a "concerned neighbor" had turned him in for being a suspicious character. "Character", yes, "Suspicious", hardly! The fact that the neighbor was a blood relative didn't sit too well. However, I can attest that my grandfather's love of family was far more predominant than his memory. I can say without a doubt that he forgave and forgot. Grandma was much better at holding a grudge and I saw trickles of that particular one when I was a child, but at the time I didn't know why.
It wasn't too long after this that my grandparents purchased a farm on the prairie near Bushnell, IL. Grandma never like it. She preferred the beautiful hills of Spoon River where she'd been raised, even though the rich soil of the prairie had to be more prosperous than the river bottom. It was while living at this farm that my aunt Joyce became ill. She kept a diary that is a delight to read. She truly enjoyed life, the neighbor kids, school work, and especially her family. The last entry is dated in February, 1948. It says "Ava and I didn't feel very good today". Ava got better. Joyce did not. The hospitals feared outbreaks and sent Joyce home, where she lapsed into a coma and eventually died at the tender age of 13 from complications of pneumonia. My father recalled the principal at Bushnell calling a cab and sending the Helle kids home for fear they all had some contagious disease. When the cab driver asked Royle for the fare, he told him to go to Hell. Joyce was buried next to her grandma and grandpa Fouts in the Wiley Lutheran Cemetery near Blyton. I am told that while being comforted by one of his siblings, Royle laughed following the funeral. Alta was very wounded by this. This might explain the relationship I observed between my grandparents. Dad says Grandma was never really the same following Joyce's death. Grandma had many emotional lows to deal with in her life which may have had a lot to do with the somber woman I remember, . . .that, and being a staunch Lutheran.
For obvious reasons, the Bushnell farm never held the same appeal, and the family returned to Babylon Bend. My dad had one more year of high school, and was allowed to finish his education in Bushnell. My uncle Glen graduated from the Spoon River Valley school District in Fairview. In the next decade give or take a few years, the children made lives of their own. Soon, Royle and Alta took on new roles as "Grandma and Grandpa".
And now, through the eyes of this child. . . I recall a man in bib overalls, (if it was summer you could guarantee no shirt). I'll never forget taking one last bike ride at dusk on a hot summer night when I was 8 or so. I could hear Grandpa playing the piano and I was drawn to sneak up and take a peek, maybe "surprise" him. I walked on the front porch past Grandma's bedroom window, where she lay reading her bible, and up to the open parlor door where I got the surprise! Grandpa was sitting "buck-naked", ripping out tunes on his "piany". I believe I belly-crawled off the porch like a soldier in combat, and hurried down the rode on my bike. I couldn't bring myself to tell anyone until years after his death. Today I chuckle every time I think of it! He loved to laugh, to tell jokes, and re-tell jokes. When he'd introduce me to a new hymn, tears would well up in his eyes and his voice would crack as he'd stress the meaning of the lyrics to me; songs like "The Old Rugged Cross", and "Beyond The Sunset". He was as good a listener as a story teller. He made people feel "special". This couldn't have been more true than for his grandkids. I recall hot summer afternoons, he'd take out his thin-worn pocket knife and slice open a watermelon and divide amongst a gaggle of sweaty little grandkids. How he'd howl with delight as we'd try to out eat one another! Little boys with bare bellies that expanded till they looked like they'd swallowed a basketball, with red, sticky stains extending from their chins to their belly buttons, Grandpa would always want to finish the event with one last challenge. The boys would all take their turn climbing the living room doorway with their legs at a 45o angle from the knees. If it wasn't that, then it was "who could make the best arm-pit noises". These were "rights of passage" that us girls weren't invited to participate in. We did get our special time, however. It almost always involved the parlor, where we'd sing and eventually learn how to play the musical saw.
Probably because I lived the closest, (and therefore the law of averages gave me an advantage), Grandpa taught me to accompany him on the piano (or "piany", as he'd say) with a basic 8 measure, three chord vamp that was versatile for many a fiddle tune. Then he taught me to transpose it into different keys, giving him more musical options. When I started piano lessons I took to it like a fish to water, largely because of my start with Grandpa, who taught himself to read music, of course he played largely by ear. From this point on, my life was on a path that it's never veered from. Grandpa would take me, my cousin June, her sister Norma, and once in a while our cousin Steve on performance trips. We'd sing and play the musical saw, which eventually became Grandpa's claim to fame. He played it with two fiddle bows crossed in the middle so that he got two tones (an octave apart) from his instrument of choice, a Sandvick, straight-backed saw. I proudly display it above my doorway, with the Helle coat of arms sticker that he put on it. About once a year I get it down and play it in church. It gives me an excuse to brag on the man I get to call "GRANDPA".
I eventually got pretty good at the piano, could be because every time my grandpa Royle would come over he'd tie his handkerchief around my eyes and have me play "The Beer Barrel Polka", after which he'd promptly pull out a $20 bill and hand it to me. I would have done it for free.
My grandparents also saw to it that I and their other grandchildren got to church. Wiley Lutheran church was the start of our spiritual instruction. There were several older women, (the Utsinger sisters) who attended as well. Often Grandpa would reminisce about the time he got 11 of those sisters in his car with him. It always brought an enormous smile to his face. This probably followed one of his many engagements playing at a local dance. Speaking of his youth, he graduated from Cuba High School, where his graduation picture still hangs on the wall. He attended McMurry College in Jacksonville, IL for a while. I'm sure it would please him to know Ava's granddaughter, Melanie Boyce is now receiving her higher education in the same town. He traveled with the circus band playing the clarinet or what ever else they needed him to. To look at the photo of this group, Grandpa Royle was by far the most handsome young man in the group. It's pretty safe to assume he "lived it up a little" before he settled down with Grandma.
Growing up, I didn't think my grandparents seemed to care too much for each other. To me, Grandma seemed irritated by most of what Grandpa did or said. She was a "down to business" sort of woman, and Grandpa got "side-tracked" easily by his sheer love of life. I only saw them kiss once, when Grandma was in the hospital, shortly before she died. Because I so connected with Grandpa, I resented Grandma's sternness. When all the other good Lutherans would break tradition and applaud me for some musical presentation, she would not. I knew she avoided being close to me and that hurt. There were times when I'd see Aunt Ava drive by with my cousins aboard and Grandma would call mom to ask that I "not come over today". I did not understand my grandmother until the summer she became ill. After her stroke, the family tried to care for her at home for a while. I remember being there once when she was disoriented and kept talking about "how lovely Joyce looked", as she made reference to me. For the first time I understood why she had trouble being around me, especially when my two girl cousins were there. At that time, we were 15, 14 and 12 and bore a striking resemblance to the three daughters she'd raised. I guess some things are just too painful to remember. After this I made peace with her in my heart. Now when I remember her, I see a woman in a faded cotton dress with a straw hat leaning on a hoe in the garden at the end of the day. I think of her sitting in her wooden rocker with a board across the arms to steady her diary as she documented the day's activities. I remember her sitting in bed reading her bible, no doubt ending the day with a prayer for protection over her loved ones.
When daughter Leila moved to the desert of Arizona, my grandparents enjoyed winter visits. After Grandma died in 1974, Grandpa spent the bulk of his winters living with her family. Of course he took his saw and his fiddle so he could entertain the senior citizens and school children of Ajo, Arizona. I remember seeing pictures of him being hugged with great affection by his new-found friends, dark-eyed Indian children and leathery-skinned seniors so different from our German look. . .when love is genuine, it transcends racial and cultural borders. Royle Helle was the "real thing" and anyone who knew him could tell you that.
It was so strange during his departures from Babylon Bend to look out the west window of our house and not see a light shining from Grandpa's house. I can't explain the comfort I felt when I could see that little beacon coming from his window, but to this day I find myself looking West when I'm leaving Mom and Dad's house. . in hopes. . .
Recently, the man who owns what was once the family farm where my grandparents lived told the tenant to leave, as he was fixing to tear the house down. Because of this decision, he let my dad go in and tear out the kitchen cabinets that he'd made for Grandma in the 60's. This also meant he had a key to the old home place, and my cousin June (Ava's daughter) and I met there one evening to take a stroll down memory lane. We paused at each nook and cranny in the house to experience a rush of vivid memories that I thought had long since departed from my brain. Then we did the same thing outside in the yard and in the barns. We cried and we laughed, and soon the darkness took over and we had to bring our journey to an end. How fortunate we are to have such warm and secure memories of childhood! How fortunate to have had the example of a Grandparent who adored his brothers and sisters, and each one of their descendants. How honored to be raised in an environment of respect. How blessed to be in a lineage of virtue, to see the value of hard work, the benefits of leisure time and an appreciation for the delicacy of this thing called "life", and for our God and Creator who so abundantly endows us and sustains us through the good and bad.
Being a Helle, I am certain that I can take pride in my heritage. It is obvious we share a blood line of strong-wills, perseverance, creativity and ingenuity. We have survived in rough times and thrived in bounty. The single thread that keeps this tapestry of life from unraveling is the blood that courses through our veins. Family is not what we are, but WHO we are. It defines us, body, mind and spirit. What lies ahead, only God knows, but one thing I feel quite sure of. . .long before we began our short stay on this Earth, someone prayed for the future generations of the this family. This is undoubtedly our greatest heritage and one that shows evidence of having been passed along. My hope is that we continue this tradition for the sake of our children, and their children and their children's children...
-Paula Jean Helle, 1/17/00, 17th generation
