Helen M. Wallace, 96, went home to be with her Lord and Savior on Wednesday, November 5, 2025, at Oakley Place in Topeka, KS. Helen was born on March 28, 1929, in Marysville, California, to Gunnar Knudsen and Margarethe Katharine (Madsen) Knudsen.
The family moved to New York and then to Hurley, Mississippi, where Helen resided on a small farm until she was 19.
Helen graduated from Moss Point School in 1946, worked a year in the woolen mill and then attended Grandview College in Des Moines, Iowa. She moved to Kansas with her friend, Joy Rasmussen Jacobsen, and began her career as a teacher. She taught in the Bethany School for 2 years and then at Barnard School for 5 years.
Helen met and married Frank Wallace in 1953. To their union was born 3 children: Leesa, Lynnette and Max. In 1957, she and Frank moved to their current farm outside Barnard. This was her home for the next 60 years. After the birth of her first child, she was a stay-at-home mom. She spent her time running the household, supporting her husband on the farm, teaching Sunday School, becoming a 4-H leader, and participating in other community activities.
Helen was a member of First Baptist Church in Barnard and was actively involved in the church. She taught the junior high and senior high Sunday School classes for over 20 years. She was involved with the women’s group and served in all the offices as requested. She also served on several church committees over the years.In the community, Helen was involved with Salt Creek 4-H Club for 15 years, serving as cooking leader, sewing leader and community leader. She was room mother and served as a PTA officer during the years her children were in grade school. When someone in the community passed away, she always fixed a dish of food and took it to the family. At Christmas, she made loaves of quick bread (different variety each year) and delivered them to friends and neighbors.
Helen was known to drive a hay wagon, a grain truck, and take care of pigs when needed. In addition to her family, she fixed many meals for harvest crews and hired men. Helen loved to “dig in the dirt.” Her almost weed-free yard and perennial flowers were beautiful. She had volunteer petunias, tulip bulbs, hardy mums, day lilies, tiger lilies and a few other random plants. Harvesting her asparagus patch was anticipated each spring.
Helen was a good cook and could make a pie crust that came out flaky and tender every time. And her gravy was rarely lumpy. She put up field corn each year in the freezer, usually 100 pints! Nieces and nephews looked forward to having Aunt Helen’s corn at all the family dinners. She was an expert seamstress and sewed most of the clothing for herself and her children and their Barbies.
Helen was preceded in death by her parents Gunnar & Grete Knudsen, husband Frank Wallace, and sister Elsie Webb.Helen is survived by her children, Leesa (Ray) Harshaw, Lynnette (Mack) Larrison, and Max (Tammy) Wallace; grandchildren Chelsea (Matt Stephens) Wallace, Paige (Chance) Cranston, and Tanner Wallace; step grandchildren Steve (Debbie) Harshaw, Jeff Harshaw, Ryan (Regina) Harshaw, and Aaron Larrison. She is survived also by 7 great grandchildren, 5 step great grandchildren, 4 step great great grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.
Helen was a deeply committed Christian and spent her life loving the Lord, her family and community. She will be greatly missed by many.
The family will receive friends at the First Baptist Church, Barnard, beginning at 10:00 A.M., Wednesday, November 12. Funeral services will begin at 11:00 A.M. Burial will be in Milo Cemetery. Memorials may be made to the First Baptist Church and left in care of Wilson Family Funeral Home, P.O. Box 166, Minneapolis, KS 67467.