Obituary of Helen Marie Holter

Holter, Helen Marie Helen passed away peacefully on March 7, 2020 at home in Minnetonka, Minnesota. She was 94 years old. Born in Minneapolis on September 10, 1925, Helen was the daughter of Clayton Cook and Hazel (Smith) Cook. She was a precocious, industrious child who learned to read and write at an age that allowed her to begin school in the second grade. Helen enjoyed reading, drawing and sewing, and after middle school she transferred from Central to Vocational High School in downtown Minneapolis and studied commercial art and then printing. She twirled a baton and was a majorette in high school. She also learned how to operate the large new offset printing cameras that were revolutionizing the commercial printing industry. When the U.S. entered the Second World War, and men left their jobs for the war effort, it provided Helen, at age 17, with the opportunity to be part of the printing industry and the first woman in the Twin Cities to operate an offset camera. Shortly after the end of the war, while shopping at Sears and Roebuck on Lake and Chicago, Helen encountered a young man she remembered from her high school English class. They chatted for a bit, and Oliver Holter, who also specialized in the printing trade, offered her a ride home. Lemonade on the front porch led to a roller-skating date and soon marriage and a family of four children. Helen and Ollie were deeply in love and remained so until the very last day of their 74-year marriage. While most young women left their wartime jobs to return to the home, Helen remained in the printing industry until her retirement. She was proud to be one of the few female "journeymen" members of the Lithographers and Photoengravers Union in Minneapolis. Helen used her sewing skills to produce wonderful baby clothes and stylish dining linens. She also created beautiful hand-crafted birthday and holiday cards for family and dozens of friends and neighbors. Helen is survived by her husband Oliver Holter, their four children, Darryl, Cynthia, Darwin, & Jillayne, grandchildren Rachael Holter Powell, Aaron and Kiera Kantrud, Sonia Nunez-Gibbs, Julia Shammas Holter, Sasha Gibbs, and great-grandchildren Steven Joshua Kantrud, Calder Powell, Rosa Marie Nunez-Gibbs, and Evan Kantrud. Services will be announced.