Memories: A grand daughters tribute: "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.

Alta helped her father with fencing projects, animals and crops and her mother with gardening and home making 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 farming 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 foodin early years. She played horse shoes 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.
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-inlaw; and college attendance for both of her sons. 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 anactive member of the 4-B Sewing Club for many years. (Sharon Bearce)