JoAnn Helmer, 84, passed away May 26, in her home in Hines.

JoAnn was born in Nebraska, and married her high school sweetheart, Dale Fahrenbruck. With Dale, she had two daughters, Holly, 64, and Cindy, 63. She was widowed with these little girls in 1959, and later married Clarence senior, and they had one son, Clarence, 54. They divorced when Clarence was young.

JoAnn was a wonderful mother. With her, we felt loved and explored many things and places. She loved being active and traveled to many places in the U.S. as well as Japan and Spain. She loved going to plays and traveled to New York City to enjoy Broadway. The beach was a favorite place, and she would spontaneously take us to the beach for the day, stopping at Pixieland on the way.

As a single mom, she went back to school and received a teaching degree in 1979. She accepted a teaching position at Hines Elementary upon graduation and after nearly 20 years, she retired from that position. She was a dedicated teacher, taking classes to keep up to date.  She loved being a teacher and cared for her students and their future. She became a part of the Hines community and loved taking the three of us to her favorite places. She called many of its residents friends and was a member of the Church of the Nazarene. Over the years, she volunteered her time and supported charities.

While in Hines, she became a pet owner, adopting two cats and dogs. She loved her animals and those of her children. She even helped deliver an alpaca baby in La Center.

As we slowly come to accept that she has passed, we look back with so many memories and happy times. I would love to share all of them. JoAnn was bright, creative, adventurous, and she was interested in many things.  She took many classes over the years. I remember all the cakes from cake decoration class, the Japanese dolls from the Japanese doll-making class, and the tumbles from the self-defense class that we took together. What I am left with is the love and joy and no one to play Scrabble with.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 24, at the Harney County Church of the Nazarene in Hines, 311 Roe Davis Ave. in Hines. We will say goodbye and celebrate her life.