Helen Margaret Douhan Carlson, 97, of Whitewood passed away on Sunday, February 10, 2013, at Garden Hills Assisted Living in Spearfish SD.

A visitation will be held from 1:00-8:00PM Thursday, February 21st at Kinkade Funeral Chapel in Sturgis. Family members will be present from 7:00-8:00PM.

Funeral Services will be held at the First Presbyterian Church in Whitewood at 3:00 PM on February 22, 2013, with Pastor Steve Agan officiating. Burial will follow at the Whitewood Cemetery.

Helen was born on a spring day in 1915 to John and Alena (Karinen) Grimsbo. She grew up in Fruitdale and Whitewood Valley and attended high school in Whitewood before graduating from high school in Deadwood.

Her brother, Howard, encouraged her to come to Prineville, Oregon. It was there that her employer felt she should meet a nice young man who managed the fuel station for a large sawmill. The nice young man, Carl F. Douhan, and Helen were married in Boise, Idaho, November 1940. They moved to Pilot Rock, Oregon, where Carl had been hired as a station agent for the Union Pacific Railroad. They were joined by a son, Carl, and a daughter, Randee. Following her husband's untimely death in 1951, she and her children moved to Whitewood where, until shortly before her passing, she lived independently.

She was an excellent homemaker who loved cooking and baking. When her children were young, she made all their clothing. She could bake melt-in-your-mouth breads, cookies, and pastries. But she was best known as a "quilting granny" and knitter of afghans. Her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren cherish the special ones she made for them.

Helen is survived by her daughter, Randee Barker; son, Carl (Petrecia) Douhan; grandchildren, Jim (Karen) Barker, Travis (Amy) Barker, Theresa (Tom) Bradford, Matt (Janel) Douhan, Jennifer (Matthew) Regan, and Kristen Douhan; eight great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews, including Sharon (Stan) Holsclaw, who live in the Whitewood area.

Helen was preceded in death by her husband, Carl; her parents; and nine brothers and sisters.

The family would like to extend their heartfelt thanks to Pastor Steve Agan and the Garden Hills Assisted Living Center in Spearfish.

A memorial has been established to the First Presbyterian Church of Whitewood.