Helen Haberichter

Helen J. Haberichter, 82, of Waukon died Thursday, July 9, 2015 at Good Samaritan Center in Waukon. Funeral services were held Monday, July 13 at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Waukon with Fr. Jim Dubert, Rev. Msgr. Ed Lechtenberg and Deacon Mike Ward officiating. Burial was at Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Waukon.
Helen Jane Haberichter was born November 2, 1932 on her parents’ farm in Linton Township, rural Harpers Ferry. She was the daughter of Timothy B. and Mary (Donahue) Egan. She was baptized and confirmed at St. Pius at Cherry Mound Catholic Church in rural Harpers Ferry.
Helen attended grade school at Linton-Egan School, where her sister, Catherine Ferring, was her teacher, and in 1951 graduated from Waukon High School. After graduating, she started working as a telephone operator for Northwestern Bell; in 1958, she left the phone company to raise her family. June 1, 1957, Helen married Vernis Charles Haberichter at St. Pius at Cherry Mound Catholic Church. Helen also did a lot of babysitting out of her home for many years.
Helen was a very devoted Irish Catholic and was a member of St. Patrick Catholic Church in Waukon, where she was active as a greeter, gift bearer and a unit leader; she also led the sanctuary society. She was also a member of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association. Helen loved cooking and baking. She was known for the peanut clusters she made for Christmas and her pies and was a very creative baker of desserts for the holidays.
Having a green thumb, Helen enjoyed growing roses and always had beautiful flower beds. She also loved going dancing with Vernis (the couple met on Christmas night at a dance in Prairie du Chien, WI). Mostly, Helen loved spending time with family. She looked forward to summer every year when the grandkids would come stay for a week. Helen also liked to travel with family and took family vacations to Orlando, FL and Hilton Head Island, SC, bus trips to Branson, MO with Vernis, and had a special trip to Ireland with her sister, Mary Benda, and sister-in-law, Myrtle Egan.
Helen is survived by Vernis, her husband of 58 years, of Waukon; two children, Richard Haberichter of West Des Moines and Sheri (Dean) Rowe of Fredericksburg; her daughter-in-law, Nancy Haberichter of Waukon; six grandchildren: Reggie (Beth) Rowe, Elizabeth Rowe, Kelly (Steve) Lines, Stephanie (Kevin) Eslick, Jarod (Molly) Haberichter and Jonathan (friend Emily Spartz) Haberichter; three great-grandchildren: Kayden Haberichter, Carter Eslick and Grace Rowe; one sister, Rose Ella Valley of Waukon; one sister-in-law, Myrtle Egan of Harpers Ferry; and many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her son, Thomas Haberichter, in 2014; one infant grandson, Shawn Haberichter; two brothers, John and Timothy Egan; two sisters, Catherine Ferring and Mary Benda; and three brothers-in-law: Harold Valley, Lawrence Benda and Paul Ferring.
Honorary casketbearers were Elizabeth Rowe, Kelly Lines, Stephanie Eslick, and the Northwestern Bell telephone operators. Casketbearers were Reggie Rowe, Jarod and Jonathan Haberichter, Donnie Ferring, Tim Valley and Lawrence Benda.
Online condolences may be left at www.martinfunerals.com.