Helen J. (Jensen Swan) Hapke, Mesa, AZ/Elkhorn  (1920 - 2012)

August 8, 1920 - January 16, 2012
Helen J. Hapke, 91, passed away peacefully in her sleep at home in Mesa, AZ, on Monday, Jan. 16, 2012. Born in Clinton, WI, on Aug. 8, 1920, to Lena & Carl Jensen, Helen worked at Borg Instruments in Delavan prior to marrying Thomas Swan in 1940. They had six children: Laurel (Diana) of Whitewater, WI, Carl (Jana) of Gig Harbor, WA, James of Summerville, SC, Patricia of San Francisco, CA, Timothy (Kathy) of Orlando, FL, and William, also of Gig Harbor, WA. After Tom's death in 1981, she gained another family when she wed Merrill Hapke of Whitewater; they were married in 1982 until Merrill passed away in 2009. She was preceded in death by her sister, Lydia; and brother, Raymond.
Helen loved her family and friends. She volunteered for a variety of activities, including Girl Scouts, Garden Club, Republican Women of Walworth County, and was an honorary lifetime member of the Elkhorn Chamber of Commerce. She was a professional seamstress and an avid golfer. Helen and Merrill moved to Bella Vista, AR, where she was a member of the Nine Hole Ladies Club and the Bella Vista Lutheran Church. After moving to Mesa, AZ, in 2004, she joined the St. Peter Lutheran Church. While in Mesa, she led the Ladies Exercise Group for 18 years; she bowled, golfed, participated in the Drama Club, Spanish Club, and volunteered on the Wisconsin Club and the Euchre Club. Helen was always ready to volunteer and help. She met every day with a smile; she always had a kind word or joke to tell. Helen loved the color yellow because it was the color of sunshine. Our world will be a sadder place without her happy smile.
Helen leaves a combined family of eight children; 21 grandchildren; 29 great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her sister, Lydia; and brother, Raymond.
She will be missed every day by her family and friends. In lieu of other expressions of sympathy, please give a donation to St. John's Lutheran Church in Elkhorn, WI, where Helen and her family were members for many years.