Helen Dorothy Westphal

HELEN DOROTHY WESTPHAL was born to August Henry and Ida Marie (Wagner) Knuth on June 16, 1923 in Worthington, Minnesota where she was raised and attended school. After her high school graduation, Helen worked in a grocery store and an ice cream store. On January 31, 1943, she was united in marriage to Paul Westphal, Jr., at her parents’ home in Worthington. Then, in 1962, they moved to Woodstock, Minnesota where Helen worked as an aid in the Woodstock school. After Paul’s retirement in 1984, they moved to Pipestone, Minnesota. In 1996, Helen began working at the Pipestone Senior Center. Paul preceded her in death on November 11, 2002. After his death, Helen continued to live and work in Pipestone. On March, 31, 2005, she retired from the Pipestone Senior Center. On Tuesday, April 12, 2022 Helen passed away peacefully at Good Samaritan Communities of Pipestone.

Helen was baptized on July 15, 1923 at St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church in Worthington, Minnesota where she was confirmed on June 5, 1928. After she moved to Pipestone, Minnesota, she became a member of Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church. She was active in the Ladies Aid, and she taught Sunday School and Vacation Bible School when her children were young. She was also a member of the Senior Citizens in Pipestone and the Tops Club. She enjoyed knitting, reading, working the computer, and baking.

She is lovingly remembered by her three children, Paulette and her husband Terry Pronk of Edgerton, Minnesota, Patricia Pedersen of Cambridge, Minnesota, and Kathie Dubbelde of Brookings, South Dakota; 7 grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren, and 3 great-great-grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her husband; her parents; two sons-in-law, Harold "Pete" Pedersen and James "Jim" Dubbelde; her brother, Bernard Knuth; two sisters, Dolores Grapevine and Lois Coyour; one sister-in-law, Rosetta Knuth; and two brothers-in-law, Leland Grapevine and Clyde Coyour.