Helena Angela Wiegand

Helena Angela Wiegand was born on the family farm near Clearwater, Nebraska on September 21, 1918 the oldest of nine children of William and Anna (Kaster) Thiele. She passed away after a long struggle with lymphoma at the Porter Hospice Johnson Center in Littleton, Colorado on October 23rd at the age of 96 years and 32 days.
She grew up in Columbus, Nebraska and graduated from St. Bonaventure Catholic School in 1937.
She married LeRoy Wiegand in Castle Rock, Colorado on February 26, 1959 and lived in Denver until moving to Beloit in 1964. LeRoy passed away on May 28, 1990. Two children were born to this marriage, Roberta and Robert. Helena was a talented seamstress and sewed for family and friends. She taught sewing classes for NCK vocational school and was also the sewing project leader and community leader for the Cloverleaf 4-H Club for nine years. Her real love was music and her pride and joy. She was the music instructor at St. Johns Grade School, pianist for the Beloit Juvenile Correctional Facility Sing Out group for 30 years and organist for the St. Johns Catholic Church for over 40 years playing for hundreds of weddings and funerals. She also taught private piano lessons and she took great joy in nurturing each student.
She loved going fishing with LeRoy and after his passing continued this pastime with her son, Robert. She never learned to swim but was known to go tubing once behind Roberts boat. She also had her first motorcycle ride with Robert at the age of 93. She enjoyed camping with Roberta and her family and visited Yellowstone and Grand Canyon National Parks and Mount Rushmore National Monument on family vacations. Later in life, with the loss of her vision she still continued to live independently in her home until the age of 95. Her hobbies included crocheting afghans, which she did so by touch, counting stitches. She enjoyed listening to books on tape, playing solitaire, and following the area schools football and basketball games on the radio. She was a devout member of St. Johns Catholic Church and will be remembered for praying the rosary tirelessly. She attended daily Mass and her weekly holy hour with her dear friend and neighbor, Ernestine. Together they would also visit residents at Long Term Care. It was the gracious help from good neighbors and close friends that allowed her to stay in her home for so long. For those special people in the community of Beloit, her family is eternally grateful. She had moved to Castle Rock, Colorado to live with her daughter last year.
She was preceded in death by her parents, an infant brother, and brothers Marion, Lawrence, Arnold and Wilbert and sisters, Dorothy and Irene. She is survived by her daughter Roberta and husband Alan Schonher, grandchildren Paige and Wade Schonher of Castle Rock, Colorado, her son, Robert Wiegand and special friend, Esther Pitchford, and granddaughter Ceress and husband, Sammy Sanders of Hutchinson, Kansas, her brother, Leo Thiele of Columbus, Nebraska , along with sister-in-laws, Mary Ann Thiele of Clearwater, Nebraska, Marcella Thiele of Columbus, Nebraska and brother-in-laws Leroy Sprunk of Columbus and Bill Helm of Golden, Colorado and many nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Johns Memorial Trust Fund, St. Johns Choir Fund or the Kansas State Library Talking Books Service.
Visitation will be at Harrison Funeral Home 11-4, Friday, October 31st with the Rosary following at St. Johns Catholic Church at 6 pm. Funeral services will be at St. Johns Catholic Church at 11 am on Saturday, November 1st, with interment at St. Johns Cemetery