Helen M. Corey of Hoquiam, WA, passed away on May 3, 2015 at St. Peter hospital in Olympia, WA on her 91st birthday.
She was born on May 3, 1924 to John and Ella (Ryckman) Van Beek in a farmhouse west of Westfield, ND. During the Dust Bowl the family moved to Shelton, WA, where she graduated from Shelton High School.
Helen married John ‘Jack’ Corey on May 23, 1942. He died in 2006.
When Jack was oversees during WWII, Helen gave birth to their daughter, Diane and moved to Aberdeen with her parents and went to work at the Rayonier mill in Hoquiam. Following the war, they moved around the Olympic Peninsula quite a bit, including Camp Grisdale, Clearwater and the upper Hoh River.
Helen enjoyed being a housewife. She loved to grow vegetables, canning, fishing and dig clams. She loved crafting. She belonged to Beta Sigma Phi (Xi Epsilon) Chapter, was the Valentine Girl in 1971.
In her mid 60’s, she helped her sister in her wild mushroom business, buying and trucking all over the Pacific Northwest. She also researched and compiled family tree information and later created volumes of data that have been copyrighted and scanned so that others could benefit. Helen was a kind and loving person, admired and loved by all who knew her.
Helen is survived by her daughter, Diane (Bob) Kaczmarczyk of Hoquiam; brothers: Russel (Donna) Van Beek of Lebanon, OR, Norman Van Beek of Clinton, MT; sister Ruby (Charlie) McBride of Montesano, WA; Grandsons: John (Cassie) Kaczmarczyk and Justin (Sharm) Kaczmarczyk; eleven great grandchildren and two great great grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.
There will be a celebration of Helen’s life on Saturday, May 16, 2015 at 1:00 PM in Fern Hill Funeral Home’s Chapel. A potluck reception will follow at United Methodist Church, 2nd and Broadway, Aberdeen. A private graveside will be held later at Fern Hill Cemetery, Aberdeen, WA.
A message of condolence or of a memory can be sent to the family at www.fernhillfuneral.com
Arrangements are entrusted to Fern Hill Funeral Home, 2208 Roosevelt St., Aberdeen, WA.

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