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Helen Marie Thompson

Helen Marie Thompson

of Phoenix, Arizona

passed away September

17, 2021, at the age of 93.

Helen was born to Clifford

and Tora Harrington in

McHenry County, North

Dakota.

Helen grew up in farms

in North Dakota. She

wanted to be a nurse but

became a wife and moth-

er. She was very proud to

have 2 nurses among her

grandchildren. She raised

her family in North and

South Dakota following

her husband’s crane

operator career.

Ray and Helen moved

to Arizona in 1966 for

Ray’s health. They were

active in the Orangewood

Church of the Nazarene in

Phoenix and Sun City

Church of the Nazarene.

Helen was an active parti-

cipant with the Caravan

girls. They would take

camping trips and trips to

Disneyland.

She was a huge fan of

Mickey Mouse and noted

that they were born the

same year. She rode every

single ride at Disneyland.

She met Mickey face to

face for the first time on

her last trip there when

she was in her 80s.

After her children were

grown and spread out she

became a world traveler.

She began traveling alone

by train and bus and gra-

dually moved to flying.

She visited her daughter

and son-in-law in Spain

and Okinawa.

She moved back to

North Dakota settling in

Deering where she settled

into the community. She

drove until she was 91.

She and a younger sister

followed a band because

they loved dancing. They

would be the last to leave

and were known as the

“dancing sisters.”

Helen was preceded in

death by: her husband

Ray in 1980, her

son-in-law Ralph Groth in

2018 and a dear friend

Vernon Brandt.

She is survived by: her

children, Jane Groth, Lila

Smith & Paul, Connie

Lunn & James and Barbara

Gomez & Mike; brother

Gene Harrington & Kathy;

sister Judy Johnson Kin-

sey, 12 grandchildren, 22

great-grandchildren and 1

great-great-grandchild.

Visitation will be

9-10:30 a.m. with funeral

service at 11:00 a.m.,

Thursday September 23,

2021, at the Sun City

Church of the Nazarene,

14636 N. Del Webb Blvd.,

Sun City, AZ. She will be

laid to rest at West

Resthaven Park Cemetery

in Glendale, AZ.

Condolences may be

shared at

www.menkefuneralhome.com