Helen J. Schlafmann, age 90 of Turtle Lake, ND died Sunday, January 10, 2010 at her home.

Funeral Services: 1:00 PM Thursday, January 14, 2010;
Turtle Lake Baptist Church – Turtle Lake;
Pastor Bill Oliver, officiating.

Interment: Turtle Lake Cemetery

Visitation: 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM Wednesday at Goetz Funeral Home in Turtle Lake, with a family service at 7:00 PM.

Helen was born April 28, 1919 near Mercer, ND, the second of five children born to Robert & Caroline (Kravik) Westerlind. Helen attended grade school and high school in Mercer. While attending school, Helen excelled in spelling and won the McLean County Spelling Bee. Following high school, she worked at the McLean County Courthouse in Washburn for a short time. Helen married William "Bill" Schlafmann on August 26, 1938 at the Turtle Lake Baptist parsonage. The couple made their home on the Schlafmann family farm near Turtle Lake where they operated a grain and cattle farm.
In 1955, they moved to their present farm just outside of Turtle Lake where Helen resided until the time of her death. Helen & Bill enjoyed traveling, visiting locations such as the Holy Land (Israel), France, Germany, Italy, and several Scandinavian countries. Her husband Bill passed away in 1995. Helen was a faithful member of the Turtle Lake Baptist Church and served with the Women's Missionary Society.

She is survived by two sons, Ronald (JoAnne) Schlafmann & Wayne (Sue) Schlafmann, both of Turtle Lake; two daughters, Caryl (Bob) Reischke of Surprise, AZ & Lorie Schlafmann of Minneapolis, MN; ten grandchildren, twelve great-grandchildren, & two great-great grandchildren; two brothers, Lloyd Westerlind & John Westerlind of Mercer; three sisters-in-law, Delores Westerlind of Edmonds, WA, Mary Ann Westerlind of Mercer, & Elsie Schlafmann of Bismarck.

Helen was preceded in death by her husband (Bill), one infant daughter (Edith), two brothers (Ted & Arnold Westerlind), and one son-in-law (Ron Hieb).