Gail Helle: "Walter has spent most of his adult life in the lumber business and most of these years working together with his brother Sheldon. Walter would never swear, even as a child, when his schoolmates would twist his arms trying to force him to swear. Sheldon did the swearing for both of them."

Sheldon Helle: "When sister Ethel came down with the measles and Mom had to go help take care of her. Walt was elected cook. It took a lot of beans for fifteen people, so Walt, not knowing beans would swell to 2 to 3 times their normal size when cooked, put on to cook what he thought would be enough. We sure had a lot of beans; about every spare kettle was full. Walter rearranged Mom's kitchen like our bachelor neighbor with all the utensils hanging on the wall. When Mom got home she sure puther kitchen back like it was in a hurry."

In his book, Walt tells of becoming ill at the age of thirteen: "I had a severe case of a cute Brights Disease. The doctor told my mother to put me to bed and give me all the water I could drink with no food of any kind. My headache continued and my little brother, Gail, faithfully brought me water with tears in his eyes, fearing that I would die if I did not drink lots of it."

Source: Frederick Helle & Katherine Krauser, 1985, by Alice Riley: "Walter Helle was named William Frederick. However, when people started calling him Billy, Ida, who hated nicknames, started calling him Frederick. Soon he was being called Freddie, so she changed his name toWalter thinking no one could make a nickname out of that. Walter knew nothing about this until 1960 when he needed a birth certificate. He learned that the only son born to George and Ida Helle on 20 June 1912 was Walter Frederick Helle. Ida told Walter what had happened. He had the name changed on his birth certificate to just Walter Helle."

Shawn Lovejoy said: "Walt, was always the statesman, with his voice and presence he should have either been a minister or in Politics. He had such a commanding presence whenever he entered a room and always with a story of the old days."

Lee Helle: "A true story that has been passed down about Walt, is the time they using a small Cat to drag logs across part of a frozen river. The cat broke through the ice and sunk out of sight. Walter was there standing beside this hole in the ice and he kept repeating these words (BelieveYou, Me) the closest anyone had ever heard him cuss. Note: This was back in the early 30s, Cats that were used then, could to day be hauled in a 3/4 ton pickup. My uncles got that Cat out of the river, by dismantling it in the water and carrying it one peice at a time to shore. This is Winter Time! but that Cat was their lively hood. I had Tough Uncles!"

In 1935, Delbert, Walter and Sheldon Helle operated a Sawmill in Galena, moving it to Dubuque, Iowa in 1940. Sheldon and Walter operated a sawmill in Savanna, IL from 1940-1986. (Sharon Bearce)