Helen Stucky Hansen, age 98, died on June 12, 2011, in Gretna, NE.
She was born Helen Kathleen Zuhars on December 6, 1912 in Peabody, Kansas. Helen and her brother, Harold, and their parents, Alfred and Ruby Zuhars, lived in rural Marion County. After graduating from Peabody High School in 1932, Helen earned a teaching certificate from Kansas State Teachers College in 1935 and then began a 31 year teaching career. She taught elementary grades in Aulne, Lincolnville, Grandview, Moundridge, Newton, and Peabody, Kansas.
While teaching in Moundridge, Helen met Jess Stucky, a Moundridge native. Jess pursued Helen and they ended up eloping in Sedan, Kansas on July 6, 1940. They kept their marriage secret so Helen would not lose her teaching job in Moundridge.
Shortly after their marriage, Helen and Jess moved to Newton, Kansas. They welcomed their first child, Mary Lane, in 1942 and Jon Marshall in 1945. The family later moved to rural Marion County and Helen taught in the Newton and then Peabody schools. While teaching full-time and raising a family, Helen earned a Bachelor of Science Degree from Bethel College in 1960, and then a reading special certificate from Kansas State Teachers College. From that point on, Helen taught special reading classes to elementary students. She retired from Peabody-Burns schools in 1975.
In addition to being a much admired and loved teacher, Helen was active in the Peabody United Methodist Church. She taught Sunday school and she and Jess sponsored the Methodist Youth Fellowship. Helen was also active in the Peabody community. She hosted meetings of Book Club, Athena Club and was a part of the golf course crowd. She loved life in Peabody.
Jess died suddenly in 1988. In 1989, Helen and Carl Hansen, a Peabody native, married and moved to Emporia to be near Carl’s daughters, Carlene Bedner and Rita Thomas. Helen and Carl were members of St. Marks Lutheran Church, Emporia. After Carl died in 2003, and after having lived in Kansas for 81 years, Helen moved to Raleigh, North Carolina, to live with her son, Jon and daughter-in-law, Libby. In 2007, she moved to Omaha, Nebraska, to be with her granddaughter, Kim Davidson, her husband Jeffrey, and two great grandsons, Jack and Nicholas. In October of that year, Helen entered an assisted living center in Elkhorn, Nebraska, and later a skilled nursing facility in Gretna, Nebraska.
While Helen was a dedicated teacher, clearly the center of her life was her loving family. In addition to her two children, Mary, who died in 1986, and Jon, Helen had five grandchildren, Kim Davidson, Ann-Jennifer Hart, Britt Olson Hemmele, Scott Stucky and Leigh Goroski; and nine great-grandchildren, Jack and Nicholas Davidson, Juliet and Zoe Tuggle, Ashley and Noah Goroski, Katherine and Miranda Stucky Carlton and Dylan Carlton Stucky. Additionally, Helen embraced six step-grandchildren and eleven step-great-grandchildren.
The funeral services will be held at Roberts-Blue-Barnett Funeral Home, Emporia, Kansas, on Saturday, June 18, 2011 at 1:00 PM. The service will be conducted by Pastor Mark Eichler, Faith Lutheran Church, Emporia. Interment will be in Prairie Lawn Cemetery, Peabody, Kansas.
The family will receive friends during the hour before the service at the funeral home Saturday.
A memorial has been established to the Peabody Township Library, with contributions sent in care of the funeral home. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Helen Kathleen Stucky Hansen, please visit our flower store.
She was born Helen Kathleen Zuhars on December 6, 1912 in Peabody, Kansas. Helen and her brother, Harold, and their parents, Alfred and Ruby Zuhars, lived in rural Marion County. After graduating from Peabody High School in 1932, Helen earned a teaching certificate from Kansas State Teachers College in 1935 and then began a 31 year teaching career. She taught elementary grades in Aulne, Lincolnville, Grandview, Moundridge, Newton, and Peabody, Kansas.
While teaching in Moundridge, Helen met Jess Stucky, a Moundridge native. Jess pursued Helen and they ended up eloping in Sedan, Kansas on July 6, 1940. They kept their marriage secret so Helen would not lose her teaching job in Moundridge.
Shortly after their marriage, Helen and Jess moved to Newton, Kansas. They welcomed their first child, Mary Lane, in 1942 and Jon Marshall in 1945. The family later moved to rural Marion County and Helen taught in the Newton and then Peabody schools. While teaching full-time and raising a family, Helen earned a Bachelor of Science Degree from Bethel College in 1960, and then a reading special certificate from Kansas State Teachers College. From that point on, Helen taught special reading classes to elementary students. She retired from Peabody-Burns schools in 1975.
In addition to being a much admired and loved teacher, Helen was active in the Peabody United Methodist Church. She taught Sunday school and she and Jess sponsored the Methodist Youth Fellowship. Helen was also active in the Peabody community. She hosted meetings of Book Club, Athena Club and was a part of the golf course crowd. She loved life in Peabody.
Jess died suddenly in 1988. In 1989, Helen and Carl Hansen, a Peabody native, married and moved to Emporia to be near Carl’s daughters, Carlene Bedner and Rita Thomas. Helen and Carl were members of St. Marks Lutheran Church, Emporia. After Carl died in 2003, and after having lived in Kansas for 81 years, Helen moved to Raleigh, North Carolina, to live with her son, Jon and daughter-in-law, Libby. In 2007, she moved to Omaha, Nebraska, to be with her granddaughter, Kim Davidson, her husband Jeffrey, and two great grandsons, Jack and Nicholas. In October of that year, Helen entered an assisted living center in Elkhorn, Nebraska, and later a skilled nursing facility in Gretna, Nebraska.
While Helen was a dedicated teacher, clearly the center of her life was her loving family. In addition to her two children, Mary, who died in 1986, and Jon, Helen had five grandchildren, Kim Davidson, Ann-Jennifer Hart, Britt Olson Hemmele, Scott Stucky and Leigh Goroski; and nine great-grandchildren, Jack and Nicholas Davidson, Juliet and Zoe Tuggle, Ashley and Noah Goroski, Katherine and Miranda Stucky Carlton and Dylan Carlton Stucky. Additionally, Helen embraced six step-grandchildren and eleven step-great-grandchildren.
The funeral services will be held at Roberts-Blue-Barnett Funeral Home, Emporia, Kansas, on Saturday, June 18, 2011 at 1:00 PM. The service will be conducted by Pastor Mark Eichler, Faith Lutheran Church, Emporia. Interment will be in Prairie Lawn Cemetery, Peabody, Kansas.
The family will receive friends during the hour before the service at the funeral home Saturday.
A memorial has been established to the Peabody Township Library, with contributions sent in care of the funeral home. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Helen Kathleen Stucky Hansen, please visit our flower store.
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