HARLEY EUGENE

born: July 18, 1918

Gene was the best little kid and never bothered anyone. As he grew older, he was very good help on the farm and at the sawmill.

He was a little on the stubborn side though. I remember his first year at high school. There was a rule that all freshmen had to wear green on St. Patrick's Day and to use the south door. Gene refused to either!

He told them bigger kids that Gene Helle would do as he Damn well pleased. He also informed them that he'd fight first, but they backed down.

When we lived at Mineral, we had a drainage ditch about twenty feet wide and three or four feet deep. Gene killed a water moccasin from this ditch. It was a poisonous snake and being a dumb kid, he carried it about a half mile where he laid it on a bridge and his supposedly dead snake crawled away.

In 1930, we lived near Geneseo. The kids went to a small one room school. This school had two doors, (back then one was for the girls and the other for the boys.) Gene had an encounter with a skunk (polecat), which he'd caught in a trap.

When Gene went in the one door, all eyes turned toward the terrible odor. Gene never took the time to turn around. He just kept right on going straight out the other door. No words were spoken but the expressions from the teacher and students gave him the impression he was not welcome.

After a complete scrubbing, the folks did let him in the house, but I think they would have given him away that day.

Gene joined the Navy Seabees in 1942. This was a construction Battalion. (The C and the B is where the name "Seebees" was derived from.) CB's were first organized in World War II with mostly older, more experienced men. They made history and became famous.

Gene was stationed in Hawaii as a crane operator. Perhaps the highlight of his career was setting the flag pole for the new administration building. His main job was loading and unloading ships. Later he managed and operated a sawmill for the Navy sawing timbers into lumber. In 1945, Gene was transferred to the Philippine Islands, then, from there, back home. When Dad died, Gene couldn't get back to the states for the funeral. It was too far in those days.

Gene was discharged ahead of Verle. He stayed with Hazel and me for a few months. We became re-acquainted during this time and really enjoyed him. Gene later moved to Oregon, as the sawmill in Wyoming, Illinois was closed.

Gene was already setting up a new mill at Oregon when Verle was discharged from the Army. Together, they established Helle Lumber Co. Later it was renamed Helle Hardwoods. Brother Gail was also associated with them from 1946 until 1950.

Gene married Maxine Heather. Their five children are:

Cheryl "Christine"b. Aug 6, 1948

Bradley Howardb. Jul. 20, 1950

Patty Janeb. Jan. 18, 1954

George Bryanb. Feb. 22, 1956

Barry Claytonb. Mar. 4, 1957

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GAIL

born: June 23, 1920

died: June 10, 1982

As kids, Gail was always concerned about others. I remember one time Verle was crying quite hard and Gail said, "Give him some candy." He was hoping it would make Verle feel better. Another time, Verle was upset because he was short a sock. Gail said, "Verle, you can have mine." Gail was always considerate of other people's feelings.

Gail married Bernice Barler, his high school sweetheart. They had four children. All the kids are married and have children.

Marigail AnnMarch 14, 1940

Linda CherylNov. 24, 1942

Sandra JeanneMarch 8, 1946

Robert LloydFeb. 17, 1956

Gail went to the rural school at Cuba, IL, then the schools at Mineral, Geneseo, Bradford, and Wyoming, IL. He met Bernice at the Wyoming School. They both graduated from Wyoming High School.

Gail stayed at the mill at Wyoming. He worked during vacations, then full time after graduation until World War II.

Gail went into the Army Air Force during World War II. He served two years as a mechanic on repair and maintenance and part-time he trained new recruits. We were proud of him.

After the war, Gail became associated with the plant at Oregon, with Verle and

Gene for about four years. He then went to Midwest Emery Transportation Co. for about twelve years.

In 1963, Gail became associated with Wood Products Inc., in Savanna. In 1971, he took, over the management of the Monticello plant. This plant was sold to the Larson Lumber Co. in September 1979. Gail came back to Wood Products, where he was in sales.

Gail's great personality is a natural as a salesman. But he also has the ability to do whatever he attempts to do. Being the youngest of ten boys, he must have had a time, though according to that personality of his, we couldn't have treated him too badly. He's truly a great brother.

On the second Sunday in June of 1981, Gail organized one of the most successful family reunions we had ever had. It was held in Savanna at the pallet factory. Just about everyone came, because Gail had written letters and called them, to get them together.

Gail was making arrangements for another family reunion the following year. It was to be held on a Sunday, June 13th. Gail wrote letters and mailed them t0 everyone, saying, "Let's get this family together for a big reunion."

We lost Gail suddenly on June 10, 1982 of a heart attack. He was sick just four days. None of us were ready to part with him. He was more than a brother. He was  a friend.

The family got together on Sunday, June 13th, as Gail had planned. Only he wasn't here. Gail's funeral was on that day.

The following is a letter to the family after his death:

To the Family of Gail Helle,

Dear Folks,

There's too many to list each one of you, but I can assure you, each one of you are "Special" to me and mine.

I know this is way too late, but hope you understand I will attempt to tell you a

small story about a great man, a brother I had and still have in my memories.

Memories of Gail:

As a small little kid those great dark eyes were something very "special". Bernice always picked on him about the "a" in "special", rather than the "e" and also "Cubey", as our home town rather than Cuba (Illinois). Now as Gail grew older he showed an interest in others in our family. His concern was for our welfare at all times. He had a real natural ability for solving problems.

Mother used to hold him on her lap. I suppose he was about two or so years old. She'd sing a song, I think of so often these days. It went like this:

Once I had a Gailen, Noble, brave and true,

Bright as the sunshine, Gentle as the dew.

Of course, I can't give you the melody, but always enjoyed hearing it. Today I realize how true the song was. We were all busy and happy on the farm, so time flew by. I do remember a couple of "special" moments. When Verle cried too long, this small boy said, "I got a plan. Give him some candy." Another time Gail took a sock off to give to a sad brother who was short a sock.

Gail's Ten" is great! It shows a deep love for his family. What a gift he has left you.

Since I was 7 years older than Gail, I don't remember much about his school days, but always remembered how good-looking my little brother was. He was also a happy kid and a good boy. As a young man, I really learned to love my brother, but above all else, he became my friend.

I remember Saturday nights on our way to Hazel's folks stopping at Wyoming just to say "hello" to Gail and Bernice. Sometimes it would be 4:30 on a Sunday morning when we'd leave. We sure would shoot the bull a lot and also play a few cards. Then our trails parted due to World War II. Those were very sad fearful days, but we did come through them. When the war was over, Gail and Bernice moved to Oregon, IL, and lived there four years. We became reacquainted, our family and yours. We became great friends.

When your Dad was stationed at Biloxi, Miss. in the Army Air Force, Hazel and I went to see him. Then Ottawa, IL, the Retz

Addition:We always seemed to find the time to go to see our "Special" friends, Gail, Bernice and their family. We always enjoyed our time and had a warm feeling about our visits there. It seemed like over night you girls and our family grew up and got married and had more great kids.

When we lost Lyle, Gail wrote us a letter that we have treasured. Then Gail, Bernice and Bob came to Savanna. Bob had his hip surgery at Rochester, then time flew and he grew up. It seemed like a higher power was controlling our lives.

Your folks and us took weekends off and traveled together. They were great days, full of fun and laughter. Then Monticello, Iowa:We became closer than ever. The many hours we spent together, suppers out, and the laughter will be cherished memories as long as I live.

World economics cast a very dark shadow over our business and our lives. When we sold the Monticello plant and your folks moved to Savanna, I was elated beyond description. I knew we needed Gail's help. His great personality got us some new business, but mostly Gail and Bernice seemed to be back home. They fit right in.

Gail had a way of being a great morale builder among our employees. This we needed more than words can tell. I still seem to look for him to come in on his way home for a cup of coffee. Our many hours at the plant, planning, visiting, shooting the bull. I'd give Gail my opinion on the metric system. He'd give me his. We had some real good debates on that metric system. Herb would help him, then they'd decide I was an agitator. All in fun.

Gail was going to Ottawa to see his granddaughter's graduation. On the way home on Monday and Tuesday, he was going to see some of our customers. The rest is history. Not one of us would believe Gail's condition was serious. No way! Not Gail. We still can hardly believe it happened. We were so unprepared for it, but realize it is the end of an era, even a legend in our family. Gail had a spirit and an outlook on life very few men ever acquire. His love for his family made him one of the richest men I ever knew, and he knew when to be humble. I'm so blessed to have had him as a brother.

Aunt Hazel and Uncle Sheldon

P.S. He was a great friend.

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