Helane M. Brickman, 98, of Sumner, died Tuesday, September 8, 2015, at the Hillcrest Home in Sumner.
Funeral Services will be held 11:00 A.M. Saturday, September 12, 2015, at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Sumner with Rev. George Volkert officiating. Visitation will be for one hour preceding services at the church on Saturday. Interment will be at Floral Hills Memorial Gardens, rural Hazelton. Memorials may be made in her name to St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Sumner.
Helane M Brickman was born on August 12,1917 to Herman and Elsie (Blech) Benzine. She was baptized and confirmed and also attended school at Spring Fountain; near Sumner Iowa. She married Clarence R Brickman on April 10, 1943. She traveled with Clarence to Port Townsend , Washington and lived and worked there while he was in the army. They then farmed first on a rental farm near Oran Iowa then on their own farm near Buck Creek. When Clarence passed away in 1991 Helane moved to Sumner Iowa where she resided until she entered Hillcrest Nursing Home in June of 2012. Those who preceded her to our Lords care were her mother and father, her brother LaVerne who died n WWll, brothers Marvin and William and sister Irene Beier; husband Clarence; son Ronald son-in-law Craig Foster step grandson Stacy Brown and good friend Otto Westendorf. Left to cherish her memory are her son Jerry of Forest City Ia , her daughter Joyce Foster of Sumner and daughter in law Barbara Brickman of Raymond. Grandchildren Gina(Rod) Schlingmann of Forest City Ia; Anthony Brickman of Dubuque, Ia; Joy(Randal) Maifeld of Pella Ia; Ryan(Kelly) Foster Johnston Ia;Tiffany (Leo) Resig of Austin Texas Tammy(Curt)Evrard Chicago Ill; Bryan Brickman of Frisco Tx and Greg(Megan) Brown of Des Moines. Great Grandchildren Jessica , Mariah and Brianna Schlingmann Forest City; Cole and Ben Maifeld Pella; Jack ,Samuel and Helana Brickman Dubuque, Kate and Zoe Foster Johnston Ava and Evanston Evrard Chicago; Paris Resig of Austin Texas, Bo Brickman of Frisco Tx. Great Great Grandchild Brody Sclingmann of Forest City. Sister Phylis Ehlers of Waterloo and brother Richard (Laura) Benzine of Princeton Tx Sister in laws Maxine Benzine of Cedar Rapids, Wilma Rueber of Strawberry Point, Viola Lenius of Waterloo,Arlene Brickman of Oelwein and Francis Sievers of DesMoines. Brother in laws Jim Brickman of Oelwein and Arlyn and Donna Brickman of Waverly. Long time farming friend Gary Smith and family.
Helane had a long and happy life . She recollected the hard work and hard times on the farm thru the depression years but also all the good memories. She also would recollect all the work that her and Clarence did when they got their own farm but always ended with the good memories. All her family knew her as loving and also with a generous heart. She never wanted a lot but she wanted everyone else to be OK. Helane up until the last few years really got out and lived. Helane wanted to live and have fun and she really did in her own way. From her pride in her strawberry patch and her green thumb on the farm to her travels which may seem small by today’s measures she enjoyed much. Just one example of some things you may not know. On Helane’s 80th birthday she,her son Jerry and her grandson Tony spent the day on a fishing boat traveling from Homer Alaska to the Barren Islands near Kodiak Island and fishing for Halibut . All her grandchildren were very special to her. Every one of them had a special place in her heart. Each grandchild got a special quilt made by Helane. I’m sure all the grandchildren remember the all the happy times on Grampa and Grammas farm.
