Helena Grace Townsend

Helena Townsend, age 99, Willow Lake, died in the Prairie Lakes Hospital at Watertown on Wednesday, December 7, 2016.

Visitation will be held on Monday, December 12, 2016 from 4-6 PM in the Grace Lutheran Church at Willow Lake.

Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, December 13, 2016 at 11:00 AM in the Grace Lutheran Church at Willow Lake. The Reverend Keith Garness will officiate. Dorothy Fuller will be the organist. The active casketbearers will be Devin, Bryce, and Clayton Blocker, Mace Roberts, and Michael and Mason Townsend. The remainder of the grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great grandchildren should consider themselves as honorary casketbearers as well as the WELCA from Grace Lutheran Church and the Willow Lake American Legion Auxiliary members. A dinner will follow in the fellowship area at the church with burial following in the Richland Cemetery north of Carpenter.

She was born Helena Grace Opsahl on October 22, 1917 at home, the youngest of the six children of Martin and Carolina (Iverson) Opsahl.

Helena attended grade school at the Berry School, one of five schools located in Richland Township, north of Carpenter. By the eighth grade Helena was able to ride horseback to school, about a two mile ride. She also went to high school there through the 11th grade. Helena then moved to Huron to work and after a bit, she decided to return to the area and graduated from Willow Lake High School in 1938. She worked in Willow Lake doing housework and also filled in at the local telephone company.

In 1939 she married Clayton Townsend and they moved to Redfield where he worked. Helena worked at a restaurant in Redfield, which began a long career in food service. She also ran a café in Carpenter after they had moved from Huron. The marriage ended in divorce and Helena and the children returned to Huron where she worked at the airport café. Working at the airport café brought her much joy and fond memories in serving many dignitaries, George McGovern, Hubert Humphrey, Olympic skater and actress Sonia Henie, Rocky Marciano and a large hunting party that included Jimmy Stewart. After leaving Huron, she lived in Yankton prior to returning to the Willow Lake area in 1965.

Helena worked at the potato processing plant in Clark and then in 1979 she purchased the drive-inn in Willow Lake, renaming it to "Gram's Drive Inn". She proudly remembered the day Governor Michelson and family stopped by for something to eat. At the urging of family, she retired when she was 80!

She enjoyed gardening, crocheting, playing cards and writing letters. Helena was a member of Grace Lutheran Church and its WELCA group, the Willow Lake Senior Citizens and the American Legion Auxiliary.

Preceding her in death were her parents, a grandson, Scott Townsend, a great-grandson, Joshua Blocker and siblings, Clarence (Margaret) Opsahl, Ida Bertha (Clarence) Lark, Carmen (Chesley) Lein, John (Stella) Opsahl, and Vernon (Mary) Opsahl and a son-in-law, Tom Brown.

Survivors include her children, Lois Brown, Alvin Lee Townsend, both of Willow Lake, Gary Townsend of Yankton and Roy (Marlene) Townsend of Willow Lake, 10 grandchildren and several great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.

Funeral arrangements are announced by the Furness Funeral Home at Clark where there is an on-line registry at www.furnessfuneralhome.com