Helen Burk

Helen Burk, age 99, passed away peacefully on December 5, 2015 after a stroke at Aspen House, Loveland, Colorado, surrounded by her immediate family. Helen was born on a farm in Greene County, Iowa on May 15, 1916. Her parents were Roy and Mae Bugbee.

Helen attended school in Jamaica, Iowa and then went on to Iowa State Teachers' College in Cedar Falls, Iowa where she received a two-year teaching certificate. Helen taught school in Rippey, Iowa for two years. She met her husband, Duane, at school in Jamaica, and they were married on August 8, 1937. This year they celebrated their 78th wedding anniversary.

Helen and Duane moved to Monroe, Iowa in 1941 where they owned a movie theater until 1948. During this time, their daughters, Donna and Sandra, were born. Helen ran the movie theater while her husband served in the Army Air Corps during World War II. Throughout her marriage she was a hard working partner with her husband in many business ventures. The couple moved from Iowa to Greeley, Colorado in 1950 where Duane worked for the Greeley Tribune as a pressman and Helen ran a small motel which they had built behind their home. In 1961, they moved to the San Diego area where they operated a Budget Rent-a-Car. Then in 1964 they bought a large motel and restaurant in Black Hawk, Colorado, followed by a restaurant in 1970 in Central City, and in 1974 a candy store. In all of these businesses, Helen supervised a crew of people and also did much of the work herself, especially when a cook didn't show up! She was always a person who liked to be busy, and her history showed that! Even though her life was extremely busy, she was able to make many new friends through the businesses they owned. She enjoyed being with friends and relatives and had an active social life.

When Duane and Helen retired in 1981, they moved to the Big Thompson Canyon where they spent their summers, and spent winters in Apache Junction, Arizona. The couple moved to Loveland in 2010. Helen was gifted with the ability to play the piano by ear, and enjoyed music. She also played the xylophone. Sewing was another hobby she enjoyed which resulted in new doll clothes and new outfits every year for her girls.

Helen is survived by her husband, Duane Burk, daughters Donna (Olan) Huckaby of Loveland and Sandra (Herbert) Billings of Pagosa Springs, Colorado. Her grandchildren are Shawn (Amy) Huckaby of Loveland, Mark (Kara) Huckaby of Parker, Colorado, Ben Billings of Aurora, Colorado,and Kim (David) Mordan of Bridgeport, West Virginia. There are seven great grandchildren, Dexter, Max, and Paris Huckaby of Loveland; Adele and Hayden Huckaby of Parker; and Alex and Megan Murray of Bridgeport, West Virginia. Helen was preceded in death by her parents and her sister, Opal Harrison of Winnebago, Minnesota.

A memorial service will be held for Helen at the Chapel of the Interlude in Drake, Colorado, on December 14, 2015 at 1 p.m. Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer's Association through their website: alz.org.

A special thank you to all the loving caregivers at Aspen House where our Mother lived for the past 1 1/2 years. Also, we appreciated so much the wonderful people who came out from Pathways Hospice to help during her last days.