Mary Helsley

Mary Alice (Bonnarens) Helsley was born in Marengo, Iowa, on January 1, 1961. She and her family moved from Amana, Iowa, to Hartville, Missouri, when she was four years old. Even though she endured many hardships as a child, her focus was always on the positive. She often shared about her healing and freedom she has gained in her growing relationship with Jesus. She shared many fond memories of growing up on the farm with her siblings, milking cows, building rock houses, picking blackberries in the summertime, and playing softball out in the road in front of their house.

Mary graduated from Hartville High School in 1979, and married Alan Helsley in 1981. Around this same time, she was saved and baptized while attending the Hartville FWB church.

Throughout her marriage, Mary became very close with her mother-in-law, Vera, and her great-grandmother-in-law, Olga. Through them, she discovered her love of flowers. She planted beautiful flowers everywhere and taught her daughters how to take care of them also. Vera also taught her to sew, cook, bake, and clean. She not only learned these things for the benefit of her family, but for everyone else around her that she served as well. Mary spent her married life happily milking cows and working on the farm.

After moving to town, she worked several jobs, always more than one at once. However, she never lost the love of the farm life and was thrilled to have a milking job later in life working for the Hutsell family. In 2018, Mary moved out of her house in town and moved to Odin to live near Lauren and Justin.

She spent her last years working from home as a loan processor for US Bank, always with a house full of grandkids.

Social status, titles, and money were never important to her; although she did earn her bachelor’s degree through Drury University where she graduated with honors.

She believed that everyone deserved kindness, respect, and to know the love of Jesus. Serving others was what she made her life all about, and she taught everyone around her to do the same. She always saw the needs of those around her and never hesitated to step in and help. She spoke the truth. She wasn't afraid to share her opinion, but she also wasn't afraid to apologize.

Mary always made the people around her feel important and loved. She had many close friends whom she shared life with. They went on many trips together, porch sat, helped with each other's kids, and mostly encouraged each other throughout the seasons of life.

Mary served in many areas in her lifetime. She served with the Chamber of Commerce for several years and with the Community Betterment Foundation the entirety of its existence. She served in church too, but her real service was outside the walls of the church. She served in areas she was comfortable in and many that she was not, constantly showing her trust in the Lord. When she believed in something, she was all in. She always believed in people, and no one was a lost cause to her. As much community work as she did, her greatest area of serving was always to her family. She constantly looked for opportunities to serve...even the day she died, she was serving.

Mary was preceded in death by her parents, Lemuel and Irene Bonnarens, one sibling, William Bonnarens, and one nephew, Ryan Bonnarens.

She is lovingly remembered by her four children, Lauren Hughes (Justin), Kristin Williams (Ethan), Nathan Helsley (Sasha), and Tyler Hennigh (Skye), her grandchildren, Reggie, Cooper, Charlee, Kale, Max, Ace, Daisy, Bruce, Levi, Dottie, Willa, and Arthur, her mother-in-law, Vera Helsley, her siblings, Kathi Lyles, Mike Bonnarens, Terry Bonnarens (Teena), Debbie Nelson, Margaret Rue (Doyle), and Theresa Ristvidt (Dennis), as well as nieces, nephews, many beloved friends, and also by Alan Helsley with whom she shared 16 years of marriage and a lifelong bond rooted in their shared love for family. In later years, Mary and Alan found peace and reconciliation, renewing their friendship through faith and attended church together with some of their children and grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to The Community Betterment Foundation (Link Below) or Celebrate Recovery, Hartville, in care of the funeral home.

Community Betterment Foundation