Helen Eleonore Sawadsky Pauls

Helen E Pauls aged 93 of North Newton Kansas, passed away peacefully at Kidron Bethel Nursing Home on Christmas Day 2024.

Helen is survived by son, Marvin (Patsy) of Missoula, MT, and daughter Charlotte (Scott) Gribble of Prairie Village KS. She is also survived by her grandchildren Mahalia Pauls of Bozeman, MT and Garrett Pauls of Missoula, MT as well as sisters Hedy Sawadsky, Lilli Zacharius, and a brother Harold Sawadsky.

She was preceded in death by her husband Wesley Pauls in November of 2001 and daughter-in-law Patricia Ward in September 2022. She was also preceded in death by an infant brother, Johnny.

Helen was born to Anna and Herman Sawadsky on July 21st 1931 in Jordan Station, Canada. She attended Hamilton General Hospital School of Nursing in Ontario Canada and earned her RN, Masters of Nursing as well as a CRRN. In 1954, she moved to Reedley, CA to work at Kings View Hospital. It was during this time that she met and married Wesley Pauls and had 2 children, Marvin and Charlotte.

In 1969 the family relocated to North Newton KS and Helen continued her nursing career, first at Axtell Christian Hospital as a nursing supervisor and later at Newton Medical Center, where she was Assistant Director of Nursing, eventually supervising the Skilled Nursing Unit. Helen was justly proud of her nursing career and accomplishments in the field of which there were many.

She loved to read and travel, and cherished the trips she took with Wes and various friends to Europe, Canada and within the US. Helen loved gardening and had completed her Master Gardener accreditation. She volunteered at the Botanical Gardens in Wichita for many years after retirement. She had also been accepted into the Masters program of Horticultural Therapy at Kansas State University.

Helen loved and studied art, and was a talented painter and sketch artist working in watercolor, oils and colored pencils. Her botanical drawings of plants and flowers display a keen eye for detail and a steady hand.

Helen loved to stay busy and never passed up an opportunity to help! Some of her many volunteer activities include working at MCC, the Et Cetera Shop, Kaufman Museum and she was a docent at the Wichita Art Museum.

She loved hosting holiday dinners with family and friends, and enjoyed conversation around the table, followed often by a game of scrabble.

After the passing of Wes, she eventually moved from their home on Emerald Court to independent living at Kidron Bethel in 2015 and last year made the difficult decision to move into nursing care.

A Celebration of Life will be held the Chapel at Kidron Bethel in North Newton on Friday February 28 2025 at 2:30 pm.