—   Helen J. Trost, age 92, of Mankato, died peacefully in her sleep on August 6, 2012 at the Pillars Hospice Home in Oakdale.

  A Memorial Service will be held at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, August 25, 2012 at St. Johns Episcopal Church, Mankato, Minnesota, with lunch to follow.  Landkamer Johnson Boman Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.  In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Pillars Hospice Home in Oakdale, Walker at Westwood Ridge in West St. Paul, or the Rochester Civic Theatre.

  Born in Rupert, Idaho, on May 17, 1920, Helen June Collin spent her childhood in Idaho and California. She graduated from high school in Rochester, Minnesota, and attended Iowa State University in Ames. In 1942, Helen married Jon W. Trost and together they moved to Minneapolis where Jon attended dental school. Their first daughter, Lynn, was born in Rochester, Minnesota, and, three years later, their second daughter, Alison, was born in Seattle, Washington, where Jon was serving in the United States Army. They moved back to Rochester where Jon practiced dentistry with his father and brother, and they lived there until their move to Mankato in 1973 when Jon began teaching in the dental hygiene program at Mankato State University. Following Jon's death in 2007, Helen moved to St. Paul to be closer to Alison and her family.

  Helen was an extraordinary seamstress, and her daughters were fortunate to have beautiful little dresses to wear for special occasions like a cousin's wedding, Easter, or Christmas. She was a member of the Episcopal Church Women, PEO, Mankato State Faculty Wives, and she and Jon were both active in the Rochester Civic Theatre.

  While in Rochester, Helen worked for Dayton's department store as fashion coordinator, where she and Jon collaborated on many a fashion show production, he mixing the sound tracks for the show and she as the one-woman production crew. They attended the annual Bix Beiderbecke Festival in Davenport, Iowa, and listened to countless hours of jazz with their close group of enthusiastic jazz fans. Helen was always happiest when she was planning a party for their friends!

  Helen and Jon owned a cabin on Madison Lake, Minnesota, that became the gathering place for the family in the summer. Grandchildren looked forward to water slides, boat rides, water skiing, and fireworks on the 4th of July.

  After moving to St. Paul, Helen enjoyed lunching with Alison and socializing with her friends.  She also took several trips to Lynns home in Wyoming to see the mountains she so loved.

  Helen is survived by her two daughters, Lynn (Patrick) Pitet of Cody, Wyoming and Alison (Tom Vogelpohl) Trost of Mendota Heights; grandchildren, Colin Pitet of Denver, Molly (John) Lacy of Denver, Louis Pitet of Eindhoven, The Netherlands, Patrick (Julie Bennett) Dornack of St. Paul, and Maggie (Michael) Libman of Inver Grove Heights, two great-grandchildren, Cash and Georgia Lacy of Denver.

  Helen was preceded in death by her husband, Jon in 2007, and by her sister, Janet Wing of Salem, Oregon.