Helen M. Van Handel

Helen M. Van Handel, age 87, of Appleton, passed away at her home on Tuesday, July 14, 2015. A loving daughter, caring sister, devoted and loving wife, precious mother, and once-in-a lifetime friend, Helen Steidl Van Handel is resting. Helen married Richard J. Van Handel In Kaukauna.

To call Helen your mate; she was his life, his heartbeat, his best friend. She was the love of Richard's life and they celebrated their 67th wedding anniversary on July 3, 2015. She made him feel so secure, she was his inspiration, the glue that held the family in place. She thought he could fix everything and anything, and in most cases he could and did. She was his hero. He was her hero. She was his 'project,' and he was her 'project.'

To call her sister, was to call her friend and confidant.

To call her mother meant, you were one of three 'only' children because that's the way she made you feel. She defended and protected you. She kept you happy and safe. Your life was showered with her quick wit, keen sense of humor, her brilliance and her uncanny ability to pull little know facts from thin air. Helen knew how to love, how to listen, how to care. She was the keeper of your secrets, and she made your burdens less burdensome, and your worries a little less worrisome. Helen made the moon and sun shine a little brighter, the spring breezes blow a little more gently, the grass and trees a little greener, and she made every day of your life a little sweeter. She was life's treasure and we are all richer for having known her. Helen loved unconditionally, in the truest sense of the word. There were no judgments made, no unsolicited advice; only a loving ear, a soft touch to wipe away your tears or an embrace of confidence and support in whatever you had decided. In the wake of her love, she leaves a sea of broken, lonely, sad hearts.

“Time moves too slow for those who wait/Too swift for those who fear/Too long for those who grieve/Too short for those who rejoice/But for those who love, time is eternity.”

Helen is survived by her sweetheart, a loving and truly devoted husband, Richard, her daughter, Susan, and two sons, Stephen and Timothy, and her brother Edward (Margaret) Steidl, and Connie Geiger. She leaves behind three precious grandchildren; Erin (Smrekar) Plier, Andrew Smrekar and his wife Teresa, Sara (Van Handel) Anderson, and her husband Nick. Five darling great grandchildren; Raven, Ella, Jack and Noah.

Helen was preceded in death, by her precious, and beloved grandmother, Anna Steidl, her sweet mother, Helena. Her darling father, Edward. Her friend and brother Jack Steidl, and his wife Carol. Her sister Lila Schwalbach and her husband Joe and her brother in-law Ken Geiger.

The Funeral Liturgy will be at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, July 17, 2015, at ST. JOSEPH CATHOLIC CHURCH, 410 W. Lawrence Street, Appleton, with Fr. Jim Leary, O.F.M. Cap. officiating. Friends may call directly at the church on Friday from 9:30 a.m. until the time of services. Entombment will be in Highland Memorial Park, Appleton. A memorial has been established in her name. The family would like to extend a sincere thank you to the staff of ThedaCare at Home Hospice, especially Ida and Dawn, for their loving care. Online condolences may be offered at www.wichmannfargo.com