Obituary of Helen Louise Palmquist

Helen was born on October 21, 1920, in Moline, Illinois, and passed away on February 23, 2020.  She was the third of four children born to Julius and Elsa Peterson.  Helen was predeceased by her husband, John Palmquist and her three siblings, Ethel Pearson, Stanley and Walfred Peterson.  She is survived by her daughters, Deborah (David) and Rebecca (Morgan); granddaughters Claire, Alaya, Linnea and Samara; and all her many nieces and nephews.

Helen grew up in Moline along the Mississippi river, and was active at her church, church camp and even found herself pitching ball for the community boys’ ball team.  After high school, Helen worked at John Deere in the payroll department and became a payroll Comptometer, running some of the earliest IBM computer payroll systems in the 40’s.  She later received her Bachelor’s degree at Bethel College in St. Paul, Minnesota. It was there that she met her future husband, John Palmquist.

After marrying in 1955, John and Helen went to Bolivia where John commenced work in agriculture and then taught math and physics in a boarding school near the edge of the Amazon jungle.  Helen worked as the school bookkeeper. Helen later assisted John in church work and taught English to Bolivian students.  Upon their return to Canada in the 70’s Helen worked at Dieppe school as Secretary until her retirement.

Helen’s life was rich in experiences and travel.  The older she got the more she laughed.   We are grateful for her many contributions in our lives and for the length of time we got to enjoy her presence.  Many thanks go out to the wonderful staff at Elmview Extendicare who took exceptional care of her.

A Memorial Service will be held at Argyle Road Baptist Church, corner of Argyle Road and 23^rd Avenue, Regina, SK, on Friday, February 28, 2020, at 2:00 p.m.  In lieu of flowers, those wishing to make a donation in her memory may do so to Katepwa Lake Camp through the Argyle Road Baptist Church.

EXTENDED OBITUARY

Helen Palmquist was born to Julius and Elsa Peterson on October 21, 1920 in Moline Illinois, which is located right on the Mississippi River.  She was the third child of four.  Julius had emigrated from Sweden at the age of 19 and Elsa, while born in the U.S., did not speak English until she went to school.  The 20’s were a booming time in America and Moline was just two hours away from Chicago. 

In the 30’s, life became tough.  Mom was a teenager during the depression but fortunately her father’s job in the plow and tractor Design Department at John Deere remained safe.   The Company patented some of his early pulled plow designs and then tractor plow designs.  The whole family was active in the Swedish Baptist Church in Moline where services were in Swedish.  However, the Peterson children were encouraged to speak English at home; Julius and Elsa wanted to make sure their children were integrated into mainstream North American society.   Summers were spent at the church camp on the Mississippi and later, well after her mother died, at a cabin at Lake Vermillion in Minnesota where Julius went for three weeks each year.  There she rowed and fished with her father. 

During high school Helen and a girlfriend pitched and played on the neighbourhood boys’ baseball team.  Mom could spin those pitches!  She also played a fair amount of tennis on the improvised court created during the depression.  After high school Helen worked at Kresge’s and the Dime Store.  She later got hired at John Deere in the payroll office and was the first person to volunteer to be trained as a “comptometrist” on the new IBM equipment, a very early form of the computer. Other staff in the office staff did not seem interested.  She learned how to plug sticks into the right holes to run the payroll.  Her dad retired from John Deere after 40 years of working there.

Helen stayed at John Deere for eight years before deciding to go to Bethel College in St. Paul, Minnesota. She graduated with a four year Bachelor’s Degree in 1952.  After graduating she began working there as the Secretary to the Dean.  Mom could type about 65 wpm on the old Underwood typewriters that were in use back then.

At Bethel she met a Saskatchewan farm boy, John Palmquist, an Agricultural Engineer, who was then working on a Master’s of Divinity; an odd combination to be sure.  Their fathers had known each other in Moline, Illinois, before John’s father emigrated north into Canada and took up farming near Belle Plaine, Saskatchewan. In June of 1955, Helen and John were married and shortly thereafter left for a year of Spanish language study in Costa Rica.   John had been hired by the Canadian Baptist Mission to assist with agricultural engineering work in Huatajata, a town near La Paz, Bolivia. From the house, Lake Titicaca could be seen and it was here two daughters were born. 

My mother was never a risk taker to speak of, so it was surprising to many that she found herself living a few years later near the edge of the Amazon jungle while John taught maths and sciences to Bolivian students in a secondary boarding school. Helen worked as the school bookkeeper. They later moved to a larger center where she assisted John in church work and taught English to Bolivian students.  Upon their return to Canada in the 70’s Helen worked at Dieppe school as Secretary until her retirement.

Helen also assisted with Spanish translation and settlement work with the first Chilean refugees that arrived in the mid 70’s.  Some of the Chileans became life long friends of our family.  Mom was involved in Argyle Road Baptist Church community for many years.  Helen waited a long time for grandchildren, having the first one born when John and she were in their early 70’s.  Mom was an avid reader and loved to read to children.  We were sure that watching her granddaughters grow up was a factor in her longevity – she got them all into their 20’s.  Helen also contributed generously to their secondary education and was proud of all their accomplishments.

Helen’s life was rich in experiences and travel.  The older she got the more she laughed.  She accepted her various life’s challenges as they came.  She missed John greatly after his death in early 2000.  We are grateful for her many contributions in our lives and for the length of time we got to enjoy her presence.  Many thanks go out to the wonderful staff at Elmview Extendicare who took exceptional care of her. 

Helen and her family also appreciate all the support she was given by church people when she was no longer well enough to attend.