Helene A. Frank

1933 - 2025

Helene A. Frank

April 18, 1933 - November 23, 2025

MIDDLETON - On November 23, 2025, Helene A. Frank, 92, of Middleton passed away peacefully at home surrounded by family. Mom will be remembered as a lifelong learner, caregiver, and nurse, and most of all as a loving mother to her family.

Mom was born April 18, 1933, in Portage, the daughter of Mathias and Mary (Niemeyer) Baggot. Mom shared stories about growing up in Portage during the Depression and World War II, recounting early memories of collecting cooking oil for the war effort, swimming with friends at Silver Lake, picking her favorite yellow roses in her mother's garden, and traveling with her mother via train and bus to historic places and museums around the country. Mom had early jobs as a babysitter, a grocery clerk filling orders, and a soda jerk at the local drugstore to earn money to go to college.

In 1954, Mom graduated with an RN degree from St. Mary's School of Nursing in Madison, a calling which she pursued throughout her life. Mom enjoyed the many challenges of nursing and found great purpose in helping and serving patients. She treasured the life-long friendships she developed with other nurses she worked with during her years at St. Mary's Hospital.

While working at St. Mary's, Mom met Roland (Rollie) Frank. They were married in Portage, on October 15, 1955, initially residing in Madison, then moving to Cross Plains where they raised their family, and later moving to Middleton in their retirement.

Mom's 64-year marriage to Dad was the greatest joy of her life along with raising five children. Mom was proud of her Irish roots and embraced her family's immigrant story. Mom and Dad believed in the importance of citizenship participation in democracy in order to make the community a better place for their children and other families. Mom hosted coffees for candidates running for office, did political canvassing, and served as a U.S. census worker. She helped launch the inaugural Cross Plains Library and started a Girl Scout program along with other mothers in Cross Plains, so that her own daughters and other young girls could experience scouting. Mom shared her love of the arts with her children via concerts and museums. She was her children's biggest fan at music performances. Mom shared her love of music while teaching over forty piano students a week for over 15 years. She masterfully orchestrated family camping and cabin trips to northern Wisconsin and road trips in the family station wagon across the country, including Mount Rushmore, Washington D.C., and the 1967 World's Fair in Montreal.

Mom was a master seamstress, outfitting her daughters especially for the holidays and sewing costumes for school plays. She enjoyed teaching her daughters how to sew, knit, crochet, and spearheaded many family traditions involving cooking and baking.

Mom was a lifelong learner curious about the world with many interests in science, music, art and literature. When her children were older, Mom went back to school and received her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Saint Joseph's College of Maine. After raising her children, Mom returned to nursing in different settings, helping allergy patients, taking care of cardiac patients, assisting as a nurse in ophthalmology surgeries, and running clinical studies at a research lab. Aside from her lifetime nursing career, Mom provided care to many friends and community members in Cross Plains and Middleton. In retirement, Mom enjoyed oil painting, playing piano, reading and traveling around the country on road trips and abroad with Rollie and spending time with her children and grandchildren. Mom and Dad's humor was a gift to each other and to their children.

Mom is survived by her son, Matt (Kay); daughters, Gina (Case Dorresteijn), Eileen, Mary Catherine (John Neumann), and Liz (Tom Godfrey); grandchildren, Jennifer, Natalie, Grant, Michael, Andrew, Aubrey, Cole, Jared, Lauren, and Blake; and five great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Rollie; brother, Jerome; and parents, Mathias and Mary.

We will always remember Mom as a strong and compassionate woman and a role model for problem solving, lifelong learning, selfless acts of love, empathy for others, and encouraging her children on their paths to higher education. We could not have asked for a better Mom and we will miss her every day, forever in our hearts.

A private remembrance will be held for the immediate family.

We express our sincere gratitude to the wonderful staff of Agrace HospiceCare, Senior Helpers, and Edgewood Nursing Student/CNA Sophia Lymburner.

In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate memorial donations in Mom's memory to the Agrace HospiceCare, 5395 E. Cheryl Parkway, Madison, WI 53711 (www.agrace.org/donate) or Wayforward Resources, 3502 Parmenter St., Middleton, WI 53562 (www.wayforwardresources.org).

Online condolences may be made at www.gundersonfh.com.

Gunderson West

Funeral & Cremation Care

7435 University Ave.

(608) 831-6761