Helen K. Willenburg

SIOUX CITY -- Helen K. Willenburg, 94, of Sioux City died Monday, March 1, 2010, at a local hospital following a brief illness.

Services will be 10 a.m. Thursday at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, with the Rev. Merlin Schrad officiating. Entombment will be in Calvary Cemetery Mausoleum. Visitation will be 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, with a Catholic Daughters of America rosary at 4 p.m., the family present 6 to 8 p.m. and a vigil service at 7 p.m., at Nelson-Berger Northside Chapel.

Miss Helen Willenburg was born June 6, 1915, in Remsen, Iowa. She graduated from St. Mary's High School in Remsen and attended Westmar College in Le Mars, Iowa. She graduated from Iowa State Teachers College, Cedar Falls, Iowa, in the field of elementary education and received a bachelor of arts degree from Morningside College in Sioux City. She held a master's of arts degree from the University of South Dakota and had additional graduate work at Drake University in Des Moines, George Peabody College in Nashville, Tenn., the University of Hawaii, the University of Northern Iowa and the University of Minnesota.

She had taught in Schleswig, Iowa, Le Mars, Iowa, and in the Sioux City Community Schools, where she served as an elementary principal for 26 years, 24 of those years as the principal of Hunt School. She also taught summer session in the field of elementary education at the Teachers College, Valley City, N.D., three summers at the University of Wisconsin in Madison and 12 summers at Morningside College.

She had served as president of the local, district and state departments of Elementary School Principals and on various committees at the state and national levels. She was a member of several educational organizations both state and national.

Special awards include recognition by the National Aeronautic Association in 1953, when she was one of approximately 100 educators in the United States who were honored with a trip to Washington, D.C. because of their interest in teaching about air transportation. That same year, she was recognized by the Iowa American Legion Auxiliary for her essay, "Why I Teach" and was awarded first place in the state of Iowa.

She was particularly interested in the arts and formerly served as an organist at Blessed Sacrament as well as being associated with musical groups in the city. She also worked for about 20 years with the Community Theater.

Helen was associated with the Siouxland Senior Center for many years and served as an accompanist and director for their chorus in addition to participating in many other activities. She was an active member of a tap dancing group and enjoyed entertaining for others.

For the last eight years, Helen had resided at Northern Hills Retirement Center, where she was an enthusiastic and active participant in all of their activities. She organized a bell choir and accompanied the group for their sing-a-longs. She entertained frequently at senior centers and nursing homes.

She was a member of the confraternity at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church and the Catholic Daughters of America.

She is survived by her nieces, Judy (Hide), Janet (Bob), Joan, Joyce (Gordon), and Jill (Dale); nephews, John (Bonnie) and Jerome (Johanna); and numerous grandnieces, grandnephews, great-grandnieces and great-grandnephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Henry and Margaret Willenburg; two brothers, Arnold and Sylvester; and a sister, Gladys.

Memorials may made in her name to Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church.