Loretta Helson

Loretta Helson, 73, of La Salle, passed away August 26, 2024 at OSF St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria.

A memorial talk will be given at 6:30 PM Friday at Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses in Peru. Visitation will be 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM at Kingdom Hall. The Hurst Funeral Home in La Salle is assisting her family with arrangements.

Mrs. Helson was born in Chicago on June 8, 1951 to Norman and Hazel (Hines) Boehm. After two years of high school, she attended Jones Commercial College. She was one of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the Peru congregation. She married David Elon Helson on July 26, 1975 in Chicago. 

Mrs. Helson’s early life included teaching ballroom dancing and doing doll repairs. She did the bookkeeping for David's business Carpetech Cleaning. She had an entrepreneur’s drive. They opened their own small business selling Indian Jewelry in La Salle. After their second child came along, she began hand-sewing her own dolls and for many years ran “Loretta’s Doll Orphanage”.

She bred canaries and finches; she enjoyed driving into Naperville to find new or rare beanie babies; she worked briefly at Boise Cascade, but the hourly wage world was not for her or her husband. She opened the Peru location of Seattle Sutton’s Healthy Eating. She built websites for many businesses and advertised online. She enjoyed working from home raising her 4 boys.

Mrs. Helson is survived by her four sons Cory Helson of Oglesby, Aaron Helson of La Salle, Shaun (Kate) Helson of TN, and Matthew (Annie) Helson of MN; three grandchildren Levi, Cooper and Charlotte Helson; one brother Don Boehm of St. Charles; one sister Diane Barnella of NC; two nieces; and two nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents and her husband David.

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