Helen V. Suko

Helen Verna Suko left her earthly home on March 11, 2014 at Ave Maria Village in Jamestown, ND.

Helen was born July 23, 1922 at Vastahi,ND to Albert, Sr. and Anna (Hochstetter) Fisher. She was the second of ten children. She attended school at Paris Township, rural Woodworth, ND.

On February 8, 1940 Helen and Martin Suko were married at Martin's parents farm near Alfred, ND. They just celebrated 74 years of a marriage filled with many blessings in February of this year.

Martin and Helen farmed in the Alfred area for a few years, lived in Jamestown for a short time and them moved to Park Rapids, MN where they lived for nearly ten years. They returned to North Dakota living in Kensal and finally moving to Jamestown into the home they shared for more than 58 years. During those years farming she worked right beside Martin doing whatever he needed to have done while still maintaining the house. Many stories are told about her driving the truck with a baby sitting close by her. She was truly his work mate.

Helen was first and foremost a wife and mother, but her nurturing soul reached out to many others, her kids' spouses, to her grandkids and to her friends. She shared her skills of cooking, baking, canning with anyone who wanted to know. The memory of those times spent with her will sustain us all forever.

Throughout the years she did some jobs that took her away from the house but not before her work at home was done, a meal planned. She worked at Ebertz Laundry, sometimes taking her children along. She worked at a local church beside her daughter-in-law, she packed households for a moving company. She knew the value of hard work and never shied away from it.

And then there were the grandkids. She could hold one on her hip and cook away because she said they want to see what's going on. She could play a mean game of UNO with them and she would make them anything they wanted to eat. She was the definition of "Grandma."

As time passed, Helen began to have trouble with her knees which led to two knee replacements. Her pain never stopped her from taking care of the garden and canning. Even as she stood with her cane, she still worked. In 2012 it became necessary to provide Helen with some help and so she moved to Ave Maria Village where she received loving care sometimes at the hand of her buddy, Robyn. We were all blessed to see her get along well with so much less pain and to be watched over by such wonderful people.

Helen is survived by the man that meant everything to her, Martin, Jamestown, five children, their spouses and children, Jim and Mary Ann Suko, Billings, MT, with Jerald, Melissa, Joseph, Marceen, Marilee, Melaina, Jennifer and Janna; Jane and Jim McCarroll, Avondale, AZ with Lori and David; Jerry and Linda Suko, Bismarck, ND with Kris and Bob; Elaine and Louis Hovda, Two Rivers, WI; Darlene and Scot Nething, Jamestown with Robyn; the great-grandchildren number in the dozens; four sisters, Garnet Perleberg, Jamestown, Pearl Eck, Fargo, ND, Shirley Beteau, New Hampshire and Lil Sprazoff, Bismarck; and two brothers, Albert Fisher, Jr., Lebanon, OR, and Ray Fisher, Jamestown.

Helen had nieces and nephews that she loved like her own children. Everyone had to stop and see Aunt Helen and cousin Helen whenever they came to town. She was a loved lady and we will all miss her.

She was preceded in death by her parents; brothers, Elmer, Clark and Lynn and her very best friend, Ethel Corell.