Helen Nystrom of Wheaton.

Visitation for Helen Nystrom will be on Friday, April 9 from 6 to 8 p.m at Hultgren Funeral Home, 304 North Main Street, Wheaton where a funeral worship service will be held on Saturday, April 10 at 9:30 a.m. with Rev. Brandon Levering of College Church officiating.

Helen, age 100, was born the second child of John and Anna Gustafson in Wilmette, IL on May 2, 1909. At the age of ten, Helen moved with her family to rural Lockport where she completed her high school education and began a career as an office worker for a company making kitchen stoves. In 1936 she married John Otto Nystrom who subsequently built each home they lived in, along with many others. Meanwhile, Helen took her office skills home and managed the finances of their business. The family moved to Wheaton in 1950 and she has lived at their home on Scott street ever since. Various children, then grand children, then great grandchildren attended Wheaton College, and she welcomed all of them, along with their friends, to her kitchen table where she kept track of their various studies, career options and romances. In her waning years it was these students and their friends who helped to care for her, along with her companion/caregiver of the past two years, Grazyna Staszewska.

Helen was baptized in College Church by the late Dr. Carl Armerding, worshiped regularly with that church when able, and during the past two decades has received its faithful ministry in her home. Helen has eagerly looked forward to reunions in heaven with her husband, her parents, her brother Morris Gustafson (Margaret), her sister Lois Buelow (Roy), and much-loved granddaughter Sheryl Nystrom Scandrett. Remaining family members include children: Adele Nanfelt (Ken) of Lakeville MA, Suzanne Anderson (Stan) of Santa Barbara CA, Roger Nystrom (Carolyn) of St. Charles, IL and Karen Beechy (David) of Sugar Creek OH. Helen lined her bedroom wall with framed photos of grandchildren and great grandchildren and prayed for them one by one many evenings before going to bed. They currently number 13 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren. "Now that she is with Jesus, she will probably lay out supper in preparation for our own arrivals."

Information and guest book is available at hultgrenfh.com or call 630-668-0027.