Helen S Skelly

Helen Skelly, 99, passed away on March 24, 2017 following a brief illness.

She was born in 1917 in Chisholm, MN to Finnish immigrants John and Hannah Syrjamaki , the sixth of nine children. Speaking only Finnish at home, Helen learned English in Chisholm schools. Both of her parents died before she graduated from high school, leaving her and her younger siblings in the care of their oldest sister, Edith. Helen attended Hibbing Junior College and graduated from Carleton College in 1940. As a social worker in Itasca County, she travelled the county in her 1939 Ford coupe. Helen met and later married Owen (Bud) Skelly of Cohasset, MN (1944). They raised their family of seven children in Cohasset, making sure all of them were educated, capable, and independent people (all did chores and all graduated from college). She returned to the social services department in 1963, retiring in 1979. After Bud’s death in 2002 and nearly 65 years of living in Cohasset, Helen moved to St. Therese (The Glenn) in Hopkins, MN in 2004 to be closer to her children. She enjoyed getting to know the other residents and engaged in a wide variety of activities in the complex.

Helen was known for her ability to "do the best with what you have." As a homemaker, Helen stressed having an imaginative and well-balanced menu. She enjoyed baking breads, cookies, and cakes. With berry picking as a family activity, she canned or made jelly from more than 200 quarts of wild berries each year. Her interests ranged from completing acrostics word puzzles, reading mystery novels, and leading exercise classes at St. Therese, to watching televised sports. She was particularly fond of the Minnesota Twins and high school tournaments.

Preceded in death by her husband and son Dave, she is survived by her children: Gerry McGrane (John Mihelic), Brenda, Owen (Mildred), Garrett (Mercy), Ed (Linda), Vern (Stephanie), daughter-in-law Carole, as well as 20 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

Helen donated her body to the University of Minnesota for medical research. A memorial service will be held at a later time in Cohasset.

Donations to The Glenn in Hopkins, MN are preferred in lieu of flowers.