Helen Shenefelt De Long, 78

Helen Shenefelt De Long, 78, passed away on Oct. 14, 2007, at Kalispell Regional Medical Center.

Helen Eva Shenefelt was born Nov. 27, 1928, to Francis Miles Shenefelt and Eva Baillargion Shenefelt in rural Eureka.

She was the youngest of four children, with one brother and two sisters.

She and her two sisters were raised in the Eureka area where their mother cooked for many years in logging camps. The girls spent their school years in mostly country schools.

Helen graduated from Rexford Grade School and attended Lincoln County High School in Eureka.

Helen and Tom Price were married in 1946. They had one son, Tom "Butch." They were later divorced.

In 1951, she married James De Long. They had three children; one daughter and two sons. They followed construction during their marriage. During their years together they had more than 230 mailing addresses.

Helen worked all her life, starting as a teenager at the Eureka Drugstore and the Standard Grocery in Eureka. After leaving Eureka she worked as a cook and waitress in many restaurants. She also worked in retail. Helen and her sister, Myrtle, had their own restaurant in Whitefish. She later worked for Costco.

Helen wrote a book about her family's life called, "Sisters Three of Montana," published in 1998.

After she retired, she and Jim moved to Eureka where she was a foster grandmother in the elementary school in Eureka. During the time she was a foster grandmother she knitted slippers and stocking caps for all the students in her classes.

She enjoyed playing cards, knitting and the Red Hat Society. She was a member of the V.F.W. Auxiliary in Eureka.

Helen had eight grandchildren and two great-granddaughters, which she was very proud of and loved very much.

Helen was preceded in death by her parents; one brother, Harold Shenefelt; and her daughter, Virginia Randall.

She is survived by her husband, James De Long; and three sons, Tom and Annette De Long, Dennis and Susan De Long, and Kevin and Irene De Long; eight grandchildren, Nichole De Long, Jonathan and Kath Kirby, Wayne Randall, Urie Randall, Yosha and Bob O'Connell, Shianne and Jeff Kalwara, Jacob De Long and Mathew De Long; and two great-granddaughters, Arnica Kalwara and Francesca Kirby. She is also survived by two sisters, Ester Paul of Whitefish, and Myrtle Richmond of Kalispell.

Graveside services will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 20, at the Eureka Cemetery, with a potluck memorial to follow at the VFW Recreation Room.