Obituary of Arline Delores Hellekson

Arline Delores Hellekson, 85, died Thursday, February 8, 2024, in Waconia, Minn. She was born February 26, 1938, in Minneapolis to Arthur V. and Helen (Carlson) Gustafson and grew up in South Minneapolis near Lake Nokomis. She graduated from Roosevelt High School in Minneapolis.

A graduate of the University of Minnesota School of Nursing, she worked as a visiting nurse in San Francisco, where she met her husband, Spencer H. Hellekson III, then worked as a civilian nurse at an army hospital in Frankfurt, Germany. They later moved to Kansas City, where she again worked as a visiting nurse and had two children, Karen and Krista. After ten years of marriage, she and Spencer were divorced, and she moved with her girls to Waconia, where she worked for 15 years as the Carver County public health nursing supervisor. She was an active member of the Waconia Moravian Church, where she taught Sunday School to 5-year-olds for 10 years. After retirement, she enjoyed spending time with her labrador retriever, Harry, knitting sweaters, and enjoying time with friends and family. For the last 12 years of her life, she stayed optimistic and active through kidney dialysis treatments due to end-stage renal disease.

She is survived by daughters Krista (Matt) Gunderman, Karen (Mike Johnson) Hellekson, and grandsons Aidan and Nathan Gunderman. She was preceded in death by her parents and her sister, Joyce Campbell. Visitation will be Saturday, February 17, at 1 p.m. at the Waconia Moravian Church, followed by the funeral service at 2 p.m. She will be interred at Zoar Moravian Cemetery near Waconia. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Kidney Fund or Waconia Moravian Church.