Helen Luella (Musser) Sandeen
Sept. 9, 1924 - Aug, 25, 2024
How do you condense into a few sentences, the life of someone who lived for almost a hundred years?
Helen Luella Musser was born to Fred and Luella (Jones) Musser on September 9, 1924 at the family farm on Musser Rd. in Antrim county. She was the sixth of eight children.
She used to fish for bullheads in Tilley Lake and she attended Tilley School until her mother died when she was 14. Then, even though she wasn't the oldest, she was kept at home to become the housekeeper and caregiver to her younger siblings. She also worked the field with horses and tended to the garden.
When she was 22 years old, she went to the free-show in Rapid City with one of her older sisters and it was there she met a young man named Harold Sandeen. He'd recently returned from the war. He was impressed with her and caught fireflies for her that night. Three months later, on October 26. 1946, they were married and she moved from Musser Rd. to the farm on Paige Rd where she remained for the rest of her life.
There was only a barn on the property, no house, so they slid a pig-pen and chicken coop together and made one. The barn burned down in February of their second year of marriage and at the same time they brought home their first child. Harold built a lean-to structure up against the stone walls of what was left of the old barn and used that for the animals until he rebuilt the barn in 1960. Through the years, as three more children were added to the family, the house was added to and taken away from, to become what it is now.
It was a working farm and in the beginning, Grandma said she hand-milked cows and hauled water by the bucket full from the pump down the hill, up the hill, to the house. They sold milk to the cheese factory in Mancelona until it closed and then they converted to raising red-Angus for beef. They also raised chickens and had an egg route and Grandma delivered eggs every week.
Besides working the farm, Grandpa also worked at Super-Tool company in Elk Rapids, so he'd get up early, take care of the animals, then be ready to head out to work. He'd come home at night and do the planting, haying, or whatever else needed to be done so their days were long and filled with work.
Grandma took on outside work too, working for several families on the lake. She did house cleaning and laundry in the summers along with her regular farm chores. Laziness wasn't allowed.
Grandpa had vision problems, couldn't get a driver's license so Grandma was also chauffeur until one of the kids were old enough to take over that job, so they never got too far from home unless someone else took them. Traverse City may have been the farthest she ever drove.
Grandma and Grandpa, after he was diagnosed with diabetes, used to do a lot of walking. She'd guide him and would later laugh as she told the story of going out after dark and her guiding him into the ditch. There was always a little yelling but the laughter would always overcome it all..
When Grandpa died in 1993, Grandma was lost. He was her world and we weren't sure she'd recover.
She said she couldn't say his name without breaking down, for at least a year, but she did recover and went on for another 31 years.
She continued her walking and it became part of her daily routine. She would walk the 4 miles around the block, almost daily, weather permitting and sometimes she'd go two times a day. She was well known by all the neighbors and people on the lake. Just a couple of years ago, a man said they used to see her walk by and he and his wife were inspired to start walking themselves because of it.
During those years since Grandpa died, she was also able to do some traveling with her children and she did see a lot of the United.States. She went to South Carolina to see one grand-daughter get married. And on another occasion when down there, there is a cute story about her getting lost while walking on the beach with family. They had to get life-guards out to help search for her. When she was found, she was on her way back and had just been enjoying the scenery.
She rode out to Seattle when her daughter Joyce and family moved there from Michigan and she got to see a lot of the sights there and along the way.
She went to Texas to see a grand-daughter graduate from the Air Force boot camp. She also visited her at the bases in Montana, and Salt Lake City, Utah. She hiked trails in Montana, went on a jeep ride through the Moab desert of Utah, giggling all the way, She rode the Jack-A-Lope at Wall Drug Store, We have pictures!. She was "game" for anything and had a wonderful sense of humor and laugh that was contagious.
These last 4 plus years, she could be seen in the golf cart we used to take her around the block, to the places she used to walk but could no longer go. The people on the lake would wave at her and smile and Grandma, smiling like she was a queen in a parade, would wave back. (She had "the wave" down perfectly.) She looked forward to getting outside for her "cart-ride" and we are going to miss taking her.
She is survived by her children, Rodger, wife Debra Sandeen and their daughter Alisa (husband Bryan Puckett), their children Gage and Amity; Sandy (husband Jerry Allen); Joyce Fischer, (friend Roger), and her daughters Brook(husband Mike Reyns), their daughters Alden and Sabine, and Amy Fischer, (friend John) and her daughter Macen; Tom, wife Susan Sandeen and daughter Rose, (husband Jeff Sutherland) . Also many other family members and friends.
The last week of her life, Helen Sandeen was surrounded by and lovingly cared for at her home by her children. There was laughter as memories were recalled, and there were tears. She is greatly loved, we are thankful for the time we had with her and she will be missed.
Sign her online guestbook at www.mortensenfuneralhomes.com
Arrangements are in the care of the Bellaire Chapel of Mortensen Funeral Homes.
