Helen Larrinaga

Helen Larrinaga, a Boise native, died peacefully at the age of 94 with her family at her side on Sept. 7, 2006. A rosary will be recited on Wednesday, Sept. 13, at 7 p.m., at Gibson Funeral Home, 507 W. Idaho Street. Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Thursday, Sept. 14, at 10 a.m. at St. John´s Cathedral, with the Reverend Henry Carmona and Reverend Donald Riffle presiding.Ê Burial will follow at Morris Hill Cemetery.Ê Services are under the direction of Gibson Funeral Home. Helen was born July 4, 1912, to Maria Dominga Goicoechea and Mateo Iriondo.Ê Her memories of childhood fondly included a Boise where neighborhood children played Òkick-the-canÓ on East Bannock Street.Ê She attended Roosevelt School and proudly graduated from Boise High School in 1931. As a teenager, she lived at the Delamar Basque Boarding House, which her parents owned and managed.Ê It was there that she later met her favorite sheepherder, Julian Larrinaga, and they married on Jan. 12, 1935 at St. John´s Chapel.Ê They had one child, Alice.Ê Helen and her daughter were very close throughout her life and were devoted to each other. Helen and Julian dairy farmed on South Maple Grove Road with her sister and brother-in law, Carmen and Joe Solosabal, until 1947. They then moved to Òthe cityÓ where they owned an apartment house at 1020 State Street and saw many renters begin a new life. Helen worked in downtown Boise at Falks ID and The Bazaar for many years. She truly enjoyed working with the public and had a knack for sales. She became jewelry and accessories buyer for both department stores and amassed quite a collection of costume jewelry- enough jewelry, in fact, to accessorize all her granddaughters and great-granddaughters for dances and special events over the generations. Helen retired from retail in 1978. An avid sports fan all of her life, she lived for Bishop Kelly football on the radio, Andre Agassi on the tennis court and Bronco football in the fall.Ê Helen was a member of the Women of St. John's, a charter member of Euzkaldunak and La Organizacion Independiente Social, and the Basque Museum and Cultural Center. She was among those pioneer worker bees who helped bring the Basque Center into existence in 1950. She taught us to appreciate the good things in life:Ê sunshine, fertile earth, flowers, carrot cake, crocheting, a good husband, and most importantly, the cherishing of her family, friends and faith. Helen was preceded in death by her parents, husband Julian, her brother, Carlos Mendiola, sister Carmen Solosabal, brother John Arregui, brothers-in-law Joe Solosabal and Bob Dick, and sister-in-law Marie Arregui. She is survived by her daughter Alice (Nick) Beristain, and her sister, Rosie Dick.Ê In addition, she leaves four granddaughters whom she adored, Diane (Bob) Records, Teresa (George Robison) Beristain, Kathleen Beristain, Mary Alice (Tom) LaBere, and her special joys, great grandchildren Alicia (Joe) Rosales, Natalie Records, Elise and Patrick LaBere, as well as numerous cousins, nieces and nephews. The family would like to extend a sincere thank you to Arthur Albanese and Esther and Ansgar Johnson, Helen´s wonderful life-long neighbors, St. Luke's Hospice and especially to Traci Walker, an angel among us, and her family, who cared for our Amuma as if she was their own. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Euzkaldunak, P.O. Box 2613, Boise, ID, 83701, The Basque Museum and Cultural Center, 611 Grove St., Boise, IDÊ 83702, or Idaho Elk´s Rehabilitation Hospital, P.O. Box 1100, Boise, IDÊ 83702. Thank you Amuma for 94 years of giving. We say goodbye to the matriarch of our family.Ê You will be sorely missed.