Helen Louise Berndt

Helen Louise Berndt died on February 13 in Ft. Wayne, Indiana at the age of 101. A Celebration of Life Service will be held Monday, February 17 at 2:00 P.M. at Starks & Menchinger Chapel, 2650 Niles Rd. St. Joseph with Pastor Thomas Batsky officiating. Friends will visit from 1:00 P.M. until the time of service Monday at the funeral home. Memorial Contributions may be made to Trinity Lutheran Church in St. Joseph, MI., Bethesda Lutheran Communalities, or Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Ft. Wayne, IN. Those wishing to share a memory of Helen may do so online at www.starks-menchinger.com. Helen was born to Fridrick and Barbara Lucker in St. Joseph on March 26, 1912. She wed Harvey Berndt in 1935 in St. Joseph, MI. For many years she assisted her husband, Harvey, on their farm in Stevensville. She was an avid flower gardener and known for her large flower garden adjacent to their Stevensville home. She also had an annual garage sale at her home for friends and her church. She was President of Evans School PTA and also President of Trinity Lutheran Ladies Aid. She was a long-term active member of Trinity. In 1999 she moved to the Whitcomb in St. Joseph and in 2005 entered assisted living at Canterbury in Fort Wayne. Her generosity and humor endeared her to family and friends and she will be missed by all who knew her. She was preceded in death by her loving husband Harvey in 1982, Helen was the last of 17 children and was most recently preceded in death by Theodore and Alan Lucker. She is survived by her children Bruce Carl (Helen) Berndt of Urbana, IL, and Barbara (John) Mueller of Ft. Wayne, IN; 6 grandchildren Renee (Paul) Marinko, Shelly (Larry) Koelper, Craig (Stephanie) Mueller, Kristin Godlin, Sonja Berndt, Brooks (Eunita) Berndt and 14 great grandchildren.