Helen Mary Heidt

Helen Heidt was born on June 21, 1938, in Hebron, ND, and passed away peacefully on November 4, 2016, at the Baptist Health Care Center in Bismarck. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, 519 Raymond St., Bismarck, on Thursday, November 10, at 12:30 PM with burial to follow at the ND Veterans’ Cemetery, Mandan. Visitation will be held at Parkway Funeral Service, 2330 Tyler Parkway, Bismarck on Wednesday, November 9, from 4:00 - 9:00 PM, with a vigil service at 7:00 PM. Helen lived in many places in North Dakota and Idaho as she grew up, but returned to Dickinson, ND, as a teenager and lived there for most of her adult life. Because of her intelligence and attention to detail, Helen was quickly promoted in her job at First National Bank, but then a blind date that blossomed into a 59-year marriage changed the focus of her life. Helen married Larry Heidt on October 26, 1957 at St. Wenceslaus Church in Dickinson, the first wedding celebrated at the new church. After several years, they bought an old house in Dickinson which the two of them completely gutted and remodeled. This was the home in which Helen and Larry raised their four children. Many years later they completed another “extreme makeover” on a home on the shores of Lake Patterson, which they loved. Helen and Larry were a model of faithful marriage and Helen would tell people that she got the best husband in the world - she called him a “gem”. Helen did not shy away from a challenge. She worked hard and taught herself many skills. Construction, landscaping, interior design, wallpapering, flooring, painting, gardening, canning, and even beekeeping were among the many projects she tackled. Helen instilled a strong work ethic in her children through her example and high expectations. She often said, “Do it right or don’t do it at all.” Artistic expression was one of Helen’s greatest joys. She took art courses by mail correspondence, enjoyed doing craft projects, drew and painted on paper and fabric, and was a talented seamstress. Among her sewing projects was a set of matching full-length dresses for herself and her girls to wear to her sister Linda’s wedding. Also memorable were the animal costumes she designed and sewed for her kids to wear one Halloween. The costumes drew rave reviews and lots of laughter when Jeff’s lion tail kept getting stuck in people’s doors as he turned around to leave. Helen had a kind and generous heart. She passed the value of compassion down to her children by example, taking them along to visit elderly shut-ins and inviting lonely neighbors and homesick college students to join the family at holiday meals. She performed volunteer service as an aide in her children’s classrooms and as a dining room chairman at the Trinity HS Mardi Gras. After her nest was empty, she chose employment in places of service - first at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church and then at Head Start. She had compassion for any person, animal, or plant who needed a little extra TLC. Helen’s green thumb was legendary and she took great pride in her Christmas cactus. Their home nurtured many types of pets, but the one constant was that Helen and Larry always had at least one dog. Above all, the role that defined Helen’s life was motherhood. Her world revolved around her kids and she encouraged them to pursue anything that they wanted to try. She and Larry made personal sacrifices to provide Catholic school, music lessons, and many other opportunities for their children, and “Helen’s Taxi Service” ran non-stop. Helen attended every concert, game, play, and swimming lesson in which her children participated. Though a stay-at-home mother’s days are long and busy, she found a way to spend time with each child individually by putting three kids to bed and allowing the fourth to stay for up an extra hour to do whatever they wanted with Mom one night each week - baking, jigsaw puzzles, board games, or reading stories. She hated to see her kids grow up and move out, but thoroughly enjoyed becoming a grandma. The last several years were very difficult for Helen, but she maintained a cheerful spirit throughout her trials. Dementia stole her short-term memory and then peripheral artery disease caused her to lose both of her legs, but she kept her smile and sense of humor until the end. The word most commonly used to describe Helen by her caregivers was “sweet”. Helen’s life will live on in her family: her husband Larry Heidt, son Norm Heidt, daughters Sue (Pat) Forster and Theresa Simon, and daughter-in-law Bonny Heidt, her grandchildren: Paul (Chelsea) Forster; Dave (Samantha) Forster, Sarah Simon, and Sammie Simon, and her siblings: Ted (Peg) Gietzen, Linda (Ron) Riskedahl, Tom (Carol) Gietzen, Kathy (Jim) Kohler, JoAnn (Barry) Brilz, Donna (Mike) Ulmen, and Gerard Gietzen. Her legacy of kindness will be passed along to her four great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, Pauline and Harold Gietzen; son Jeff Heidt, and son-in-law Frank Simon. Helen’s family would like to thank everyone who visited and supported Helen as her health declined, and are especially grateful to the staff members at Mid Dakota Clinic, St. Alexius, Primrose, and the Baptist Health Care Center who cared for her with dignity and love. Your kindness will never be forgotten. If you would prefer to donate to a charity in her memory rather than sending flowers, please consider the God’s Child Project (because of her love for children) or the Central Dakota Humane Society (because of her love for animals). Go to www.parkwayfuneral.com to share memories of Helen and sign the online guestbook.