Obituary for Helen Van Tuyl (Rasmussen)
Helen R. Van Tuyl, a local area resident since 1958, died on Thursday, January 24, 2019 at the ArchCare Nursing & Rehabilitation Center at Ferncliff in Rhinebeck. She celebrated her 100th birthday just three days prior on January 21st.
Helen was born in Stoughton, WI on January 21, 1919, the youngest of the five children of Ferdinand and Emma (Aaker) Rasmussen, and the first to be born in a hospital.
Helen was impressed by her family’s doctor, and decided at a very young age that she wanted to be a nurse. When she graduated from high school at the age of 17, she was too young to start nursing school, so she took courses at a secretarial school until her 18th birthday when she was finally able to enroll in the Evanston Hospital School of Nursing in Evanston, IL. Helen began her career as a Registered Nurse in Chicago, where she worked for several doctors in private practice.
In 1948, Helen married Arlan G. Roberts and began a new role as a wife and mother. They welcomed four children into the world while they lived in the Chicago area, and the young family moved to Fishkill in 1958.
Helen returned to nursing in 1967, after her youngest child started fifth grade. She was a nurse supervisor at Butterfield Hospital in Cold Spring, and later worked for Fishkill OB/GYN, where she was Office Manager for over 15 years.
Helen married Warren H. Van Tuyl in 1981, after the death of her first husband in 1973. After she retired in 1984, the Van Tuyls explored the U.S. for several years, eventually settling in Tucson, AZ to begin a new adventure.
Helen had a strong Christian faith and was a longtime member of the First Reformed Church of Fishkill, where she was active on many committees. She was fascinated by the rich history of the Hudson Valley, and was an enthusiastic member of the Fishkill Historical Society. For many years, she volunteered for the Girl Scouts of America. Helen was 100% Norwegian and loved to share her ancestry’s culture with family and friends.
Helen had a vivacious personality and a warm sense of humor, and she made friends wherever she went. She had a natural talent for making others feel comfortable, and made lasting connections with people at church, at work, in the Fishkill community, and wherever her travels took her.
Helen was a born leader. She laughingly said she was given leadership positions because she was tall, but we all knew it was because of other qualities. She was smart, outgoing, dedicated, persistent, and well organized. You could always count on Helen to complete any task efficiently and with high quality.
Survivors include her children: Karen Ransom & her partner Scott Tuttle of Staatsburg, Linda Lund & her husband David of Staatsburg, Richard Roberts & his wife Nancy of Glenville, Melissa Belanger & her husband Paul of Kailua, HI, Jennifer Van Tuyl & her husband John Donoghue of Fishkill, and Pamela Van Tuyl of Fishkill; her grandchildren, Lara Wohlenhaus & her husband Doug, Kathy Rothfus-Stroup & her husband Paul Stroup, Eric Roberts & his wife Jennifer, Jason Roberts & his wife Crista, and Kristin Lee; her great-grandchildren, Ali, Nick, Will, Rosie, Kiley, Ella, Everett James, and Leonora; and many nieces, nephews, and other relatives & friends.
Helen was preceded in death by her first husband, Arlan Given Roberts on June 30, 1973; her second husband, Warren H. Van Tuyl on December 3, 2003; and her siblings, Margaret Allen, Eldrid Napoletan, Annette Rasmussen, and Fred Rasmussen.
A memorial service will take place at 11 a.m. on Friday, February 1 at the First Reformed Church of Fishkill, 1153 Main Street, Fishkill.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, 225 N. Michigan Ave., Fl. 17, Chicago, IL 60601 (www.alz.org).
Arrangements are under the direction of McHoul Funeral Home of Fishkill, Inc., 1089 Main Street, Fishkill. For online tributes, please visit Helen’s Book of Memories at www.mchoulfuneralhome.com.
Helen was born in Stoughton, WI on January 21, 1919, the youngest of the five children of Ferdinand and Emma (Aaker) Rasmussen, and the first to be born in a hospital.
Helen was impressed by her family’s doctor, and decided at a very young age that she wanted to be a nurse. When she graduated from high school at the age of 17, she was too young to start nursing school, so she took courses at a secretarial school until her 18th birthday when she was finally able to enroll in the Evanston Hospital School of Nursing in Evanston, IL. Helen began her career as a Registered Nurse in Chicago, where she worked for several doctors in private practice.
In 1948, Helen married Arlan G. Roberts and began a new role as a wife and mother. They welcomed four children into the world while they lived in the Chicago area, and the young family moved to Fishkill in 1958.
Helen returned to nursing in 1967, after her youngest child started fifth grade. She was a nurse supervisor at Butterfield Hospital in Cold Spring, and later worked for Fishkill OB/GYN, where she was Office Manager for over 15 years.
Helen married Warren H. Van Tuyl in 1981, after the death of her first husband in 1973. After she retired in 1984, the Van Tuyls explored the U.S. for several years, eventually settling in Tucson, AZ to begin a new adventure.
Helen had a strong Christian faith and was a longtime member of the First Reformed Church of Fishkill, where she was active on many committees. She was fascinated by the rich history of the Hudson Valley, and was an enthusiastic member of the Fishkill Historical Society. For many years, she volunteered for the Girl Scouts of America. Helen was 100% Norwegian and loved to share her ancestry’s culture with family and friends.
Helen had a vivacious personality and a warm sense of humor, and she made friends wherever she went. She had a natural talent for making others feel comfortable, and made lasting connections with people at church, at work, in the Fishkill community, and wherever her travels took her.
Helen was a born leader. She laughingly said she was given leadership positions because she was tall, but we all knew it was because of other qualities. She was smart, outgoing, dedicated, persistent, and well organized. You could always count on Helen to complete any task efficiently and with high quality.
Survivors include her children: Karen Ransom & her partner Scott Tuttle of Staatsburg, Linda Lund & her husband David of Staatsburg, Richard Roberts & his wife Nancy of Glenville, Melissa Belanger & her husband Paul of Kailua, HI, Jennifer Van Tuyl & her husband John Donoghue of Fishkill, and Pamela Van Tuyl of Fishkill; her grandchildren, Lara Wohlenhaus & her husband Doug, Kathy Rothfus-Stroup & her husband Paul Stroup, Eric Roberts & his wife Jennifer, Jason Roberts & his wife Crista, and Kristin Lee; her great-grandchildren, Ali, Nick, Will, Rosie, Kiley, Ella, Everett James, and Leonora; and many nieces, nephews, and other relatives & friends.
Helen was preceded in death by her first husband, Arlan Given Roberts on June 30, 1973; her second husband, Warren H. Van Tuyl on December 3, 2003; and her siblings, Margaret Allen, Eldrid Napoletan, Annette Rasmussen, and Fred Rasmussen.
A memorial service will take place at 11 a.m. on Friday, February 1 at the First Reformed Church of Fishkill, 1153 Main Street, Fishkill.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, 225 N. Michigan Ave., Fl. 17, Chicago, IL 60601 (www.alz.org).
Arrangements are under the direction of McHoul Funeral Home of Fishkill, Inc., 1089 Main Street, Fishkill. For online tributes, please visit Helen’s Book of Memories at www.mchoulfuneralhome.com.