Helen Zinsli transitioned to her new life in Heaven on Monday, February 14th, 2023, one week shy of her 100th birthday. Daughter of Mathias and Mary (Poss) Althoff, she was born on February 21st, 1923 in the house she grew up in, on a farm near Mooreton, ND. Helen was a gentle, kind soul from the beginning. She loved animals, both wild and domestic. As a youth she tended a flock of 350 chickens, and after chores she would often walk a wooded grove along a back field to watch birds and wildlife. But she was especially fond of her pet kittens. After completing the eighth grade at a local one-room country school, Helen stayed home to work on the farm. (Though Helen believed firmly in a good education, she grew up in an age in which women, especially in rural areas, did not continue education beyond what was required.) In her early adulthood, She moved to the neighboring town of Wahpeton to live and work.
In the late 1940s Helen met her future husband, Louis Zinsli, who, at the time, was attending the North Dakota State School of Science in Wahpeton, studying to become a car mechanic. In 1954 they were married and moved to Alexandria, Minnesota, where Louie had bought a failing taxi cab business. Louie and Helen successfully operated the cab business in town for seventeen years before selling it to someone else.
Helen and Louie raised a family of four children, Luann, Steven, Catherine, and Kenneth. The family attended The Church of Saint Mary in Alexandria, and the children attended St. Mary’s Catholic Grade School. Church and parish involvement were a central part of the family’s life. Helen was an active member of the Daughters of Isabella.
Helen maintained a large garden in the summer and canned much of the garden’s produce. She also baked her own whole-wheat bread and ginger-snap cookies that were second to none.
In 2016 Helen lost Louie, her beloved husband of 52 years, to a long series of illnesses. She continued to live in her home in Alexandria till March of 2022, when she moved to Franktown, Colorado to live with her daughter, Cathy Johnson, who selflessly cared for her until the end.
Helen outlived all of her siblings: brothers Herman and Vernon, and sisters Margaret and Emma. She is survived by her four children and their families: Luann (Jeff) Golberg, Alexandria; Steve (Becky) Zinsli, St. Cloud; Cathy (Mark) Johnson, Franktown, Colorado; Ken Zinsli, Sunnyvale, California.
Visitation will be held on Friday, February 24, 2023, from 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Alexandria. Daughters of Isabella Rosary will be held at 1:30 PM. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 2:30 PM at the church. Burial will be at St. Mary's Cemetery. In lieu of flowers memorials are preferred to St. Mary's Catholic School.