Helen Mary Dutka

Helen was born on Sunday March 19, 1939 in a two story log cabin on the Barry Schultz farm to John and Mary Binder.  In 1943 the family moved to the Wohler place and in the spring of 1945 the family bought the Zerr farm north of Langenburg where her brother Edwin and his wife Yolanda still live.  Helen attended grades 1-8 at  Hohenlohe and then Langenburg High School until graduation.   After high school she attended Moose Jaw Teacher’s College in 1957-58.  She went on to the University of  Saskatchewan for Arts and Science in 1960 before returning to Langenburg to teach grade 3 from 1961 until 1963.  On July 20, 1963, she wed Louis Dutka and in December of 1964 purchased their first home in Langenburg.  They raised four children, Terry (Anita), Teena (Mike), and the twins Wesley (Sandra) and Kelly (Jana).

Helen left Langenburg with her family in November of 1967 to pursue employment opportunities in Saskatoon and briefly in Calgary before ending up in the mining community of South Bay in Northwestern Ontario in 1971.  She served as a security guard for the mine from 1974-1980 as well as a substitute teacher from time to time.  They remained in the community until the mine closed in 1980 and the family returned to Langenburg.  They built a new home and Helen then worked at the Langenburg Hospital.  In 1992 she got her nurse’s aid certificate and worked at the Langenburg Care Home until retiring in 2004.

Helen was active in the Catholic Church and joined the Catholic Women’s League in 1998 serving as its Treasurer from 2004-2008 and again from 2011-2013.  She often helped in services as well as serving Communion to shut-ins.  She received the CWL’s 20 years of service certificate in 2018.

Helen enjoyed playing cards, solving word puzzles, bingo, vacationing and visiting with family members as often as possible including with her four grand children Kelsie (Matt), Isaac, Rachel and Justin.  She also has two beautiful  great grand daughters Abigail & Victoria.  Helen loved to also toil in her garden year after year and took particular care of her flowers.  She also took up bowling with her husband which they enjoyed immensely and also curled in the winter months.

She was preceded in death by her father, John (1992), and her mother, Mary (2002), and her husband Louis (1997).  Helen is survived by her children and sisters Eda (Arnold), Loretta (George, 2019), Theresa (James), Barbara (Ron) and brother Edwin (Yolanda) as well as numerous nephews and nieces.