Obituary of Illene Hellinga

Illene Shirley Hellinga was born December 12, 1941 in Sibley, Iowa the daughter of Garret and Helen (Dykstra) Greenfield. She was raised in Sibley, graduating from Hull Western Christian High School in Hull, Iowa. She was united in marriage to Fred Hellinga on January 17, 1964 in Sibley, Iowa. The couple made their home near Sioux Valley, Minnesota where they raised their family, and were engaged in farming. In 1995 they moved to rural Lake Park where they have lived since. Illene was a member of Lake Park United Methodist Church. She loved rodeos, spending time with her husband, and especially loved spoiling her grandchildren. Illene passed away after a courageous battle with breast cancer Tuesday, April 1, 2008 at sixty-six years of age. Left to cherish her memory are her husband, Fred Hellinga of Lake Park; children, Julie Sitzmann (Matt) of Le Mars, Iowa, Carla Henke (Mike) Lakeville, Minnesota, and Gregg of rural Harris, Iowa. She is also survived by grandchildren, Ashley, Austin, Hillary, and Grant; siblings, Andrew Greenfield of Sheldon, Iowa, Gilbert Greenfield (LeAnn) of Sibley, Iowa, and Lillian Shoemaker (Larry) of Morrison, Colorado. She was preceded in death by her parents, Garret and Helen Greenfield.