Early Monday morning, November 20th, 2023, Helen Louise Wiggins Craft Penman passed on peacefully from 100 years of life. Helen had resided at the Yellowstone River Nursing facility in Billings, Montana for the last few years.
Helen was born on July 7th, 1923, in Danville, Illinois to Urla and Carl Wiggins.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her grandmother Nettie Harrington, her Aunt Ester (Urla’s sister) her older sisters Virginia (Ginny) and Jean, Jean’s daughters Susan and Vicky, Helen’s daughter Ann Louise and Helen’s grandson Kirk, her two husbands Vance Craft and Richard Penman. Helen is survived by: her son, Leslie Palmer Craft, his wife Dawn (the kindest caregiver), their children, Rachel and Brandon Keehn, Nicholas and Stephanie Tuholski, and Jonah and Rachel Carriveau; Helen’s daughter Nan Craft, granddaughter Keja Whiteman, great-granddaughter Camille Jean Louise Whiteman, great-great grandchildren Selah Grace and Kade Venne, grandsons Clayton Vance Whiteman and Kendrick Joseph Whiteman, Jr. Helen is also survived by Richard’s three daughters: Sally and Chuck Anzur and family, Mary Bilak and family, and Bonnie McCoy and family, as well as numerous nieces, nephews, and friends.
Vance and Helen lived in LaPorte, Indiana while raising their children. Helen was the consummate homemaker: skilled in cooking, sewing, and canning--with a Dutch Clean house. She was active in County Extension work and attended the First Baptist Church. When Helen retired, she married Richard and they moved to Florida. Those 20 years of oranges, sunshine, and new friendships are what doubled her life expectancy from the 50-year expectation at her birth. From Florida, Richard and Helen moved near his people in Pennsylvania for several wonderful years, before returning full circle to LaPorte.
Helen loved her coffee, favored a Reuben sandwich on rye bread, and loved lemon pie. But if remembered for one food, it would be bananas. During the Depression, her dad worked on the railroad. Her mom bought 5 bananas a week for his lunch. Little Helen craved those bananas then and throughout her life made sure that bananas were always the first item on her grocery list--because she ate one every day. How ironic that the most popular song in 1923 when she was born, was, “Yes, we have no Bananas!”
In a word, Helen was devoted; devoted to her family. We are all better for having been “mothered” by this amazing woman. Thank you, Helen, you are already missed.
