Helen Nielsen

A funeral service will be held Friday, February 28, 2014, at 2:00 pm at Turner Jenness Funeral Home in Spirit Lake. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service. Burial will be at East Side Cemetery in Estherville, Iowa. In lieu of flowers, please send memorial to the Alzheimer's Association. Helen Louise Nielsen, the daughter of Maude Luella (Hudson) and Solomon Jackson Schaffer, was born October 1, 1926 in Kenney, Illinois. Helen grew up in Graettinger, Iowa until her marriage to Leonard Pierce in Emmetsburg, Iowa. Helen enjoyed bowling, sewing, flowers, playing cards, music and dancing. She also loved cats and stuffed animals. She was a member of the St. Paul Lutheran Church in Emmetsburg. She passed away February 25, 2014 at Hilltop Care Center in Spirit Lake, Iowa at eighty-seven years of age. She is survived by her daughter, Diana Villarreal of Estherville; two granddaughters, Maria Villarreal and fiance, Luis Perez and Selene Schroeder and husband, Casey; great-granddaughters, Ayishah Villarreal, Ayiannah Whiting, Ayilexus Whiting and Carlie Schroeder; nephew, Michael Webber of Clearwater, Florida and several cousins and other family. Helen was preceded in death by her parents and her ex-husband, Leonard Pierce.