Helen M. DeGroot

Helen M. DeGroot, Appleton, age 89, passed away peacefully on October 1, 2020. Helen was the daughter of James and Nellie DeGroot. She was born June 24, 1931 in Kimberly, Wisconsin, and graduated from St. John High School in Little Chute in 1949.

Helen moved with her family to Appleton in 1949 where she started working at Kimberly-Clark Corporation in the Research and Development Lab in 1951. She retired from the Lab in 1990.

Helen was a member of St. Therese Catholic Church. She volunteered for the parish and shared her time and talents with LEAVEN over many years. She was also a member of the Secular Franciscans, the Catholic Daughters of the Americas, and the Monte Alverno Retreat Guild. Additionally, she regularly attended an early morning Bible study group.

Over the years, Helen loved to travel and gather with family and friends. She was an avid reader, enjoyed playing cards, and researching her family’s genealogy. She was often the “family photographer” and captured many of her family’s memories on film.

Helen was preceded in death by her parents, James and Nellie DeGroot, her siblings, Evelyn (Jack) Dolan, Leone (Jerome) Berg, Clayton (Jeanette) DeGroot, Geri (Carlton) Berg, and Eunice DeGroot, along with her niece and nephews, James Dolan, Mike Dolan, Mary Skop and Glen DeGroot.

She is survived by her nieces and nephews: Colleen Granger, Dennis Dolan, Tom Dolan, Tim Dolan, Marilyn Nordquist, Mark Berg, Ken Berg, Steve DeGroot, Jill Karras, Elaine Zak, Paul DeGroot, Pat DeGroot, Mike Berg, Karen Berg, Carla Ater, and Barbara Wall.

The funeral liturgy for Helen will be on Saturday, October 17, 2020, at 11:30 AM at St. Therese Catholic Church, located at 213 E. Wisconsin Avenue in Appleton, with Fr. Ryan Starks officiating. Interment will take place at Evergreen Cemetery in Wausaukee, Wisconsin at a later date.

The family would like to give a special thank-you to the staff at the Appleton Retirement Community and the ThedaCare at Home Hospice Team for their kind and compassionate care of Helen.