Helen Harkins

Funeral Services for Helen Harkins, 89, of Ekalaka, MT will be at 11:00 a. m. Friday, October 19, 2007 in the Chapel of Stevenson Funeral Home in Ekalaka with Pastor Steve DeFord officiating. Interment will follow in the family lot in Beaver Lodge Cemetery at Ekalaka. . Visitation will be 1:00 p. m. to 9:00 p. m. Thursday, October 18, 2007 in the Chapel with a Prayer Service at 7:00 p. m. Helen passed away Monday, October 15, 2007 at Dahl Memorial Healthcare in Ekalaka, MT. Helen Marguerite Parks was born December 22, 1917 to Jesse and Marie (Miller) Parks at the home of Jesse?s twin sister, Sarah and Ed Conger in Ekalaka, Montana. The home later became known as the Berry ?hospital? and is now the location of the First Baptist Church of Ekalaka, the church Helen helped establish as a charter and lifelong member and worker. Helen spent her early childhood in Ekalaka, moving to the Ruby Creek sawmill south of Custer, South Dakota where Jesse had work with the Congers. In 1929, the Parks family returned to Ekalaka living in a house about one mile south of the Camp Needmore turnoff on highway 323. She attended the Russel school located near there. In 1931 Jesse, Marie and the family returned to the homestead southwest of the Chalk Buttes and Helen, Vernon and Ione walked to the school near the WL horse camp spring. Sometimes Odis, a sheepherder for Jim Keith, ?happened along? leading an extra horse for Helen to ride. On October 31, 1934, Odis and Helen were married in Miles City, Montana. Mom, as Helen is known to all her children, explained this early marriage by saying she was not a Christian at this time and besides, she was ?almost? 17. Their first home was a sheep wagon. Mom learned to cook very efficiently on a sheep wagon stove and once showed how to make raised donuts on the small stove. During the hard winter of 1936, when temperatures sometimes reached 60 below zero, they wintered sheep for Charlie Castleberry north of Miles City starting out in a wagon and later moving into the CBC horse camp with a big majestic range for heating. In February, they moved back to the Ekalaka area and worked for Jack Baker; the Patton?s, worked on their homestead and did various jobs. Skip was born in 1938, Jim in 1940, Twyla in 1941 and Cork in 1942. Dick and Tyke followed in 1945 and 1947. During this time, they lived on Odis? homestead on Timber Creek, the ranch now owned by Tom and Margie Blair and the home in Ekalaka where Neil and Jo Kittlemann live. They bought the ranch on the head of Spring creek where Dean Parks now lives in 1946 from A. J. Cline, operated, and expanded the ranch until Odis died in 1986. Helen then moved to Ekalaka living in her home until a broken leg disabled her. For the last four years, she has made her home at the Dahl Memorial Rest home. Helen is survived by her children, Wayne E. ?Skip? and Betty J. Harkins, Brazil, South America, Jim E. and Paula Harkins, Billings, MT, Twyla M. and Ray Fried, Spokane, WA, Jerry L. ?Corky? and Leola Harkins, Billings, MT, Richard O. ?Dick? and Reta Harkins, Ekalaka, MT and Gary O. ?Tyke? and Giesola Harkins, Bakersfield. CA; one sister, Ione Myrvik, Billings, MT; one brother, Dean (Gloria) Parks of Ekalaka, MT; 18 grandchildren, 35 great-grandchildren and 5 great-great-grandchildren. Her parents, brother Vernon and her husband Odis and one great granddaughter precede her in death. Arrangements are under the direction of Stevenson Funeral Home of Ekalaka, MT.


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Burial Date: October 19, 2007
Funeral Home Ekalaka, MT

Funeral Service: Friday, Chapel of Stevenson Funeral Home, Ekalaka, MT