Delores Rose Helle

Delores Rose Helle, age 84, of Savanna, IL, passed away on February 14, 2024 at Big Meadows Nursing Home. A funeral Mass will be held at 11 a.m., Saturday, February 24, 2024, at St. John’s Catholic Church in Savanna. Visitation, will take place from 9 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. at Law Jones Funeral Home, in Savanna, prior to the funeral Mass. Burial will follow on a later date.

Delores was born November 15, 1939, at home in Mt. Hope, WI, the daughter of Oakley and Rose (Kautman) Hazen. She spent much of her childhood at Blackhawk Village in the Savanna Army Depot, while attending St. John’s Catholic Elementary School. Following the untimely death of her mother, when Delores was just nine years old, Delores and her younger sister, Jo, were taken in by their big sister Anna, and her husband Richard. This act of kindness and selflessness by her big sister was always held in high regard by Delores and later, by her family. She graduated from Savanna High School with the class of 1958, and later that year, on October 25, she married Vernon Helle at St. John’s Catholic Church. In 1986, after raising their family, Delores and Vernon moved to Pittsfield, IL, where they lived for more than 30 years before returning to the Savanna area. After Vernon’s passing in 2019, Delores moved in to Pinnacle Place in Savanna. She adored her time there, participating in numerous activities and making many friends.

Delores, a lifetime member of the Catholic Church, was a woman of strong faith. She asked for God’s guidance in raising her family, and she found ways to give back when she could. She volunteered in her parish and taught religious education classes for a number of years, both in Savanna and Pittsfield. During her time in Pittsfield, she also taught adult literacy classes.

She was a very social woman who adored people and loved to share in their lives and accomplishments. In her free time, one could often find her playing Rummy or Solitaire, or working on jigsaw puzzles. Delores’ faith, attitude, and loving demeanor made her a wonderful wife, mother, and citizen. She will be dearly missed.

Delores is survived by her three daughters, Teresa (Rocky) Mickelson, Kathy (Kurt Coatney) Root, and Brenda (David) Thulen; grandchildren, Robert (Amber) Mickelson, Matthew (Melissa) Root, Jared (Zoey) Root, and Allison (Jordan) Everly; a great-grandchild, Asher, and one more on the way; and a sister, Jo (Tom) Hovorka. Delores is preceded in death by her parents, Oakley and Rose; husband, Vernon; daughter, Cheryl Lynn (infant); four sisters, Evelyn (David) Harrsion, Lila (Sonny) Grindey, Anna (Richard) Delp, and Margaret (George) Arand; and father-in-law and mother-in-law, Walter and Alice Helle.