Obituary for Helen Delores Trudeau Rankin
June 14, 1924 — April 8, 2024
Helen Delores Trudeau Rankin (née Hansen) was born on Flag Day, June 14, 1924, in Des Moines, Ia., to Evelyn (née Mourning) and George Hansen. Growing up in Racine during the Great Depression with her two brothers and lifelong friend, Elaine Scheid, Helen was a fearless tomboy and enjoyed life’s simple joys like spending summers at her Aunt Emma Bailey’s farm in Somers, climbing trees, camping and jitterbugging with her first love, Broz.
From a young age, Helen dreamed of getting married and having a family. She moved from home at 16 years old to become a live-in nanny for twin toddler boys, making one dollar per week.
It wasn’t long after that she met Donald Trudeau, a tall, dark and handsome man with a brand-new Hudson and she was smitten. Their courtship was brief, and they married on Valentine’s Day in 1942 at Gethsemane Evangelical Lutheran Church shortly before Donald was drafted into the Army Air Corps during World War II.
Through luck, or the grace of God, Helen and Don were able to spend most of the “war years” together at the airbase in Hobbs, N.M., where they would spend time together watching the B-17 bombers take off and land as entertainment.
While in Hobbs, they started their family and adopted a local stray dog, Poochie. When Don received orders to ship out to France, Helen packed up Roger, Ed and Poochie and headed on a train back to Racine. Helen worked at Andis Company assembling massagers while her sister-in-law, Laverne, would watch the boys.
After Don’s return to Racine, they continued to grow their family to eight sons: Roger, Edward, Gerald, Donald Jr., Ronald, Jeff, Martin and James. But they had more love to share and became active foster parents for numerous children over the years, with special relationships with sons: Keith and Paul. A tough-as-nails mom, Helen enjoyed being a homemaker and recounted that the greatest joy in her 99 years was having a house full of kids.
To help support all those kids, Helen and Don made extra income by running the kitchen at various bars and clubs around Racine, including the Ratskeller, Center of the World and Racine Yacht Club. She was famous for her onion rings, which she dipped twice for the perfect coating.
Following 52 years of marriage and Don’s passing, Helen had a second chance at love when she met Hector Rankin in 1996. While visiting her friend Elaine in Belleview, Fla., she met Hector, fell in love with his Scottish accent, and six weeks later they were engaged. Shortly thereafter, they had a “shot-gun wedding” at Gethsemane Evangelical Lutheran church in Racine on July 13, 1996. Helen relocated to Belleview where she lived with Hector until his passing on June 4, 2007.
Hector and Helen were the cutest couple, making each other laugh, holding hands and cuddling up on the couch. Both were adventuresome and they enjoyed traveling together, visiting places like Greece, Canada, Hector’s homeland of Scotland, and Ireland where Helen kissed the Blarney Stone.
Following Hector’s passing, Helen relocated, purchasing a home in Lynn Haven, Fla., to be closer to her son, Jeff. She remained independent well into her mid-nineties, driving her red Dodge Neon with a custom paint job, mag wheels, and specialty license plate that said “SPICY1”.
Helen returned to SE Wisconsin where she could be close to family and spend her final years sharing stories of the “good ol’ days” and the wisdom of a life well lived. She enjoyed reminiscing about taking flying lessons, picking raspberries at the cabin in Tipler, Wis., and all the pets she loved over her lifetime. “This too shall pass” and “Make a silk purse out of sow’s ear” are lessons she passed down to three generations.
Helen Delores Trudeau Rankin is survived by her sons: Roger (Barbara) Trudeau, Edward (Sharon) Trudeau, Donald (Marie) Trudeau, Gerald (Barbara) Trudeau, Jeff (Loni) Trudeau, Martin (Barbara) Trudeau, and James Trudeau. She also leaves numerous grandchildren, great grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews with the blessing of knowing her.
Helen was preceded in death by her husbands, Donald Trudeau and Hector Rankin; and son, Ronald Trudeau.
Helen said she was “glad she came this way” and had a great life and many blessings to be thankful for.
Services
Let’s celebrate her sassy, classy, and bad-assy legacy at noon on July 4, 2024, at Ed and Sharon Trudeau’s residence.
Obituary and photo of Helen Delores Trudeau Rankin courtesy of Wilson Funeral Home.
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