Helen A. (Geier) Summerfield, a loving wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, was called into eternal life with the Lord on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024.
Helen was born Dec. 5, 1931, one of 13 children of Basilius and Francis (Rondorf) Geier of Norwalk, Wis. She attended Hillcrest Country School and later worked at Heinecks Cafe in Sparta. She met her future husband Evan Summerfield at a local wedding dance, and they were later married on June 11, 1952, for 67 years. They lived on their Wilton area farm all of their adult lives before moving to senior care at the Morrow Home in Sparta, Wis., in 2018.
Helen was a devoted wife and mother of eight children. Helen enjoyed the simple things in life. She loved caring for her husband and children and seeing her grandchildren. With eight children, she was busy every day cooking meals, washing their laundry and cleaning the house. She could be found gardening, canning and doing yard work. On Monday mornings, the house smelled of her homemade bread, while in the afternoons, she could be found sitting in her chair in the living room as content as can be. In her chair at the Morrow home, she loved watching the staff and visitors come and go from the parking lot. You would find her in her chair, dressed in a polo shirt and a cardigan sweater, with her watch on her wrist. So, in memory of Helen, please wear a polo shirt or a cardigan sweater on Saturday.
Helen was a member of St John the Baptist Catholic Church in Wilton, Wis. She was strong in her faith and turned to prayer often. She was ready to be reunited with loved ones and be with the Lord.
Helen is survived by seven of her eight children, David (Laurie) Summerfield of Arvada, Colo., Marjorie Klinzing of Monroe, Wis., James (Connie) Summerfield of Wilton, Nancy (Steve) Laabs of Waukesha, Wis., Donna Rueckheim of Sparta, Wis., Kevin Summerfield of Jefferson, Wis., and Brian (Melissa) Summerfield of McMinnville, Ore.; her two sisters, Berdella Butzler of Sparta, Wis., and Conalee (Connie) Lewis of Lubbock, Texas; and 12 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Evan; her daughter, Sandy Summerfield; her son-in law, Paul Klinzing; her parents, Basilius and Francis Geier; her brothers, Isidore, Arnold, George, Hilarian (Larry), Omar and Wilbert; her sisters, Adeline Donskey, Irma Von Ruden, Annabelle Von Ruden and Marlene Peth; and other Geier relatives.
Special thanks to her daughter Donna and granddaughter Miranda for their weekly visits, her son Jim and his wife Connie for navigating her senior care and insurance paperwork, and her sister Berdella for her visits and phone calls, keeping Helen laughing and well informed on local and family news during her stay at Morrow Home.
A Memorial Mass of Christian Burial will be Saturday, Oct. 5, at 12 p.m. at St John the Baptist Catholic Church, 504 Enderby St., Wilton. Father John Ofori-Domah will officiate. Burial will be in the church cemetery. Relatives and friends are invited for a time of visitation on Saturday at the church from 10 a.m. until the time of the service. Lunch will follow at the Wilton American Legion.
In lieu of flowers, a memorial with be established in Helen’s name.
