Gerda T. Helbig

A most beautiful and elegant wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, aunt, sister and friend, was reunited with a host of overjoyed family members awaiting her grand entrance to Paradise on Nov 30th, 2017.  Gerda was born in Holland on Nov. 16th, 1945 to Eelke and TriJntje Tolsma. The family decided to immigrate to Utah in 1956 in an effort to provide a better future for their children. Gerda did her best to fit into a completely different environment and to do whatever she could to support her parents in this new and challenging chapter in life. Gerda was always such a hard working person with the strictest standards of morality and integrity, loving and giving the benefit of the doubt to all. She was such an easy person to love and everyone who met her considered her a friend immediately. She learned to play Tennis, and excelled in this sport playing Tennis for Ogden High School. While still in High School she met the man she would fall deeply in love with, Walter Helbig. They were married on 4-17-64, sharing over 53 ½ years of marriage. Gerda and Walter shared many choice memories with their best friends of over five decades, with whom they remain friends with to this very day. To the Ertels,  Arndts,  Augats,  and Births: you all held a very special place in Gerda’s heart, along with precious memories of trips to Bear Lake, Flaming Gorge, Lake Powell, and countless outings with the youth from the German Speaking Ward, to which Gerda belonged and remained a faithful member for her entire married life. Family trips and special outings with this special group of friends became the norm. Gerda was a master at packing up the camper and somehow turning a cramped space into an enjoyable and unforgettable outing for her family! She could turn an ordinary outing and vacation into an extraordinary experience because of her gift to make everything comfortable and perfect, combined with her talents in the Camper Kitchen, turning every meal into a delectable delight!  Gerda also skied with her family each weekend in the winter when the kids were younger, turning every Saturday into a favorite memory complete with a great homemade lunch eaten on the back of the station wagon! Gerda, known by many and beloved by all who came in contact with her, will be greatly missed. Her contagious almost “siren type” laugh will always be remembered as joyous, infectious and heartwarming, bringing tears of laughter to all within earshot of her laugh. Gerda is truly a unique and special individual with so many talents, although she herself believed she had none! Gerda truly had the gift of cooking, and fed so many people over the years, gladly and without complaint, welcoming all to come to her home, many times without any forewarning at all. Her meals were simply delicious and unforgettable. She was a gifted Artisan, turning scraps and All a Dollar/Big Lots extras into beautiful centerpieces, wreathes and flower arrangements. She could paint and draw anything that she set her mind to. She would use this talent and volunteer hundreds if not thousands of hours over the years to decorating and painting for Road Shows, Conference Dances for the German community, mutual activities etc. She served in youth leadership positions for many years devoting countless hours to the youth of the German Speaking Ward. She served dozens of elderly people selflessly (thousands of hours). She would not ask to help, she would simply show up and serve, doing it quietly without fanfare, cooking and cleaning and providing dignity for those who no longer felt it. She was the family’s audio/visual expert because Walter could barely understand how to put the video tape into the VCR. She was a devoted wife who supported her husband in all of his work and church responsibilities, never seeking recognition for her sacrifices. She drove to Ogden weekly for many years to take care of her mother until she passed away in 2002. She was a devoted and doting mother to all 4 of her children whom she was so proud of. She welcomed with open arms each son-in-Law and daughter-in-Law, making them feel like part of the family and loving them like her own. All of her grandchildren and great grandchildren meant more to her than life itself! She was simply the very best! A beautiful, artistic, loving, kind and giving example to all.
Gerda is survived by her loving husband Walter of 53 ½ years , her 4 Children: Gerrit (Amy), Audrey (Bert), Elke , Angie (Ryan), her 14 Grandchildren (Cassandra, Nathan, Danielle, Hayley, Stefan, Christian, Taylor, Dylan, Skyler, Ashley, Chelsey, Morgan, McKenzie,Justin, and her 5 Great Grandchildren, Easton, Louis, Brooklynn, Jayden and Oliver; sister, Sita Rigby; and brother, Andy Tolsma, sister-in-law, Nelda Tolsma. Preceded in death by her parents, sister TriJntje, brother Tiede, son-in-law Kelly Watts.
A viewing will be held Friday evening (Dec 8th) from 6:00 -8:00 pm with Funeral Services on Saturday Dec 9th from 11:00-12:00 pm with a viewing from 9:30-10:45 am, both will be at the German Speaking Ward (721 S. 1200 E. SLC UT). Interment will follow at Memorial Mountain View Cemetery, 3115 East 7800 South, Cottonwood Heights, Utah.
Mom, thanks for inspiring us to be Kind and generous, trustworthy and honest, to love all and to forgive all, to serve others selflessly: Thank You for your quiet testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Plan of Happiness and Salvation, Thank you for being so elegant, classy, and respectful in all things and teaching us to be the same! Your loving and grateful Children Forever: Gerrit, Audrey, Elke and Angie! To my beautiful wife, words alone cannot express what you truly meant to me, I love you with all my heart: Walter
Service Information
Viewing December 8, 2017 at 6:00 - 8:00 PM
LDS Chapel, 721 South 1200 East, Salt Lake City, UT





Viewing December 9, 2017 at 9:30 - 10:45 AM
LDS Chapel, 721 South 1200 East, Salt Lake City, UT





Funeral Service
December 9, 2017 at 11:00 AM
LDS Chapel, 721 South 1200 East, Salt Lake City, UT