Helen passed away January 21, 2017 with Glenn and Maureen by her side at the Teulon Hunter Memorial Hospital.

She is survived by sisters-in-law Marilyn (Jack) Warkentin, Joyce Measor, Shirley Kletke, Gail Kletke and Ruth Holmstrom and many nieces and nephews.

Helen was predeceased by her husband of 57 years Herb, in 2013, son Darrell (1977), parents Henry (1950) and Margaret (1985), sister Florence Larkin (1981), brothers Lennart (1927), Fred (1982) and Helge (2008).

Helen was born at the Teulon Hunter Memorial Hospital on July 26, 1933. She attended Success Business College and her first job was with Credit Protectors in Winnipeg. After the 1950 flood in Winnipeg, she was employed at Great West Life for almost 10 years in the Loans and Surrenders Dept. In 1956 she married Herb and subsequently moved to the farm in 1959. At first they had cattle, chickens and hogs but eventually expanded into cleaning seed. Helen loved working in the fields, cultivating, swathing and even operating the combine on occasion.

Helen felt fortunate that she and Herb had the opportunity to see agricultural practices in New Zealand, Australia, England, Brazil, China, Venezuela, Argentina, Mexico and the United States. For many years they hosted International Agricultural students and had close relationships with many of them for many years. A number of them have returned several times to visit.

We wish to thank the nurses at the Teulon Hunter Memorial Hospital for their care and compassion. A special thanks to Dr. Loudon and his family for the exceptional care as both a physician and friend.

The Funeral Service will be held at the Teulon-Rockwood Centennial Centre (14 Main Street) on Friday, January 27, 2017 at 11:30 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Teulon Hunter Memorial Hospital, Teulon, Manitoba, R0C 3B0.

Helen Skogan October 17, 1921 – January 13, 2017

I am very lucky to come from a family of storytellers. I guess, more accurately, it is a family of memory-tellers. Every family dinner that I can remember would end up with everyone around the table reminiscing about people they used to know; places they used to visit; old stories that would still make everyone laugh. In writing my Grandma’s obituary, I sat down and thought about all of the stories and all of the memories. Here’s one that stands out for me. Years ago, when my Grandpa was sick, I went home to spend time with him and Gram. We talked a lot about “the old days”. Which prompted my Grandpa to put his arm around Gram and say: “We had fun. We had a (colourful language) good time”. He said this knowing that his cancer was not going to go into remission this time; knowing that their days together were limited. I left there in tears. Sad ones, mixed with happy. Because I had the privilege of witnessing people who were still deeply in love after 58 years of marriage, and still having fun together. And it’s a memory I bring up here because it encapsulates my Grandma. She loved having fun more than anyone I know. Gram was feisty before it was considered a compliment. Family lore has it that she and my Grandpa started courting when he yanked on her pigtails, and she punched him. A little bit “Anne of Green Gables” and a little bit “Fight Club” and completely and totally in character for both of them. Grandpa never stopped teasing her. She never stopped rising to the occasion. I miss hearing the two of them in action; one would get the other riled up about something, and they’d end up laughing so hard that they had to sit down. They were each other’s best friend and favorite pastime. Gram also had a great love for her family. Nothing made her happier than having all of her kids and grandkids around. Except maybe a game of cards. Which is why you’d find the Skogans and Willises around the table after every holiday dinner playing a cutthroat game of 31. It was very hard for my Grandma to see the number of card players drop when Grandpa -her Herb (also known as “Herbert”, depending on her level of annoyance)- passed away; when her beloved son Billy died; when her daughter-in-law Sandra died; and when she lost her brother Fraser and sister Marion. Hard, too, to have had to say goodbye to family members and to life-long friends. Here’s my Grandma in a nutshell. She loved her family and friends, fiercely. She loved a good laugh; a good argument; a good pork roast. She could bake better than anyone I know. She cheated at cards. Dementia stole her debating and baking skills; her appetite these last few years didn’t allow for too many roasts. But she still enjoyed good laughs, right up until the week of her passing. And the statistically improbable number of times that she “won” at cribbage tells me that her cheating ways remained intact, too. Thank you to everyone at Red River Place: at Goodwin Lodge; and at Hunter Memorial Hospital for taking such good care of someone we loved so much. Thank you for the kindness, the compassion, and for sneaking her the odd tomato sandwich. I’ll miss my Grandma. So will Lana (Kelly), Eric (Tina), Karla, and Kyle (Anita). Jayden, Vayha, Noah, Kelvyn, and Kevin were lucky enough to know their Great-Grandma and to have a special relationship with her. Bert Skogan (Shirley) and Karen Willis (Lyle) will miss their Mother terribly, too. As will her many friends and the rest of her family members, including her sister, Annabell (John Bueckert) and cousins, nieces, and nephews. Goodbye, Grandma. We had a (colourful language) good time. Following a private graveside service, friends and family are invited to celebrate Gram’s life at the Teulon Rockwood Centennial Centre on Monday, April 17 at 2:00 p.m. Flowers gratefully declined. Memorial donations to Goodwin Lodge (at Box 89, Teulon, MB., R0C 3B0) would be appreciated. Please make cheques payable to  T.H.M.H.D -fdn.