Helen Marie Ballain

SEWARD - Helen Marie Ballain, 94, of Seward, formerly of Grand Island, died Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009, in Seward.

Services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at Messiah Evangelical Lutheran Church in Grand Island. The Rev. Jim Miller will officiate. Graveside services will be in the Westlawn Cemetery in Grand Island.

Visitation will be from 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday at Zabka Funeral Home in Seward, with family receiving friends from 6:30 to 8. Additional visitation from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday at Apfel Funeral Home, Grand Island and one hour prior to services Saturday at the church.

Helen Marie Ballain was born March 20, 1915, in Stanton, Iowa, to Sigurd Gerhard and Freda Otelia (Larson) Trybom. She was baptized and confirmed at Mamrelund Lutheran Church in Stanton, Iowa, a church that her Swedish immigrant grandparents helped organize in 1870. She received her education in the Stanton public school, graduating in 1933. After graduation, she worked in the Stanton Grocery Store.

Helen Marie married Clyde Ballain on June 21, 1938, at home in Stanton. Clyde and Helen Marie made their home in Red Oak, Iowa until moving to Omaha in 1942. Clyde was a sales representative for the Nabisco Company. In 1943, they were transferred to North Platte. Helen Marie was one of the many volunteers at the North Platte Canteen during WW II. Clyde entered the U.S. Navy in 1944. Helen Marie and her young son, Tom, went back to live with her parents in Stanton during the war. When Clyde was discharged in 1946, they moved to Grand Island. Helen Marie was employed at Schweser's for 17 years, retiring in 1975. Clyde and Helen Marie raised two children, Tom and Pam; both became teachers. They were very involved grandparents, making frequent trips to Colorado to visit their grandsons, Sean and Paul. They cheered at many of their soccer games plus made Sean and Paul true "Husker" fans. Helen Marie moved to Seward in 2002, living with her daughter, Pam and son-in-law, Don. Pam became her caregiver.

She was a member of Messiah Lutheran Church in Grand Island and attended Faith Lutheran Church in Seward.

Helen Marie is preceded in death by her husband of 53 years, Clyde; her parents, Sigurd and Freda Trybom and an infant sister.

She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Tom and Carol Ballain of Fort Collins, Colo.; daughter and son-in-law, Pam and Don Rondorf of Seward; grandchildren, Sean Ballain and his wife, Amy of Broomfield, Colo., Paul Ballain and his wife, Colleen of Highlands Ranch, Colo.; five great-grandchildren, Derek and Taylor Ballain, Broomfield and Emily, Jenna and Luke Ballain of Highlands Ranch; one niece, Phyllis Bruce of Red Oak, Iowa; step-grandchildren, Tyson Rondorf of Pillager, Minn., Jeremy Rondorf and his wife, Heather of Blaine, Minn., Becky Feyder and her husband, Andrew of St. Paul, Minn.; stepgreat-grandchildren, Belen and Frank Feyder of St. Paul, Minn.

To this obituary we add our thoughts, prayers and memories as we celebrate the life that we shared with Helen Marie, knowing that she is in heaven reunited with family, friends and holding the hand of her dear friend and Savior, Jesus.

Memorials are suggested to Faith Lutheran Church, Seward; Messiah Evangelical Lutheran Church, Grand Island or Mosaic.

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