Marion Helen (Grover) Humburg, a resident of the Ness City area since 1939, peacefully entered into the presence of the Lord in the arms of her loving children on July 31, 2011, at the age of 102 years and 20 days.

Helen was born on July 11, 1909, in Beckham County, Oklahoma. She was the first of six children born to Marion and Pearl Grover. The Grover family homesteaded in Oklahoma and moved to a farm near Jetmore, Kansas, when Helen was four years old. She graduated from Jetmore High School in 1928 and then attended Fort Hays State Teacher's College. However, the hardships wrought by severe drought and the Great Depression cut short her education as a music major, and she earned a teaching certificate. Helen taught twenty students in eight grades at Valley School, near the Hodgeman-Ness County line.

Helen and Elmer Humburg were married October 8, 1933, in Argonia, Kansas. They lived in Jetmore and, in 1939, moved to the farm eight miles west of Ness City, where they resided until Elmer's death in 1960. As was common during the depression, they started with nothing and suffered many hardships and setbacks. However, they built their farm into a success that was a testament to their determination, hard work, and trust in the Lord. They had two children: DeLynne and Don.

After Elmer's death, Helen moved to Oklahoma for several years to be near extended family. In 1968, she moved to Overland Park, Kansas, where her daughter and family resided. In 1972, she moved back to Ness City to live in the home, which she and Elmer had purchased shortly before his death in 1960.

Helen is survived by her two children, DeLynne Dean, of Colorado Springs, and Don (Judy) Humburg of Ness City; four grandchildren: Calvin (Nathella) Humburg of Ness City; Crystal Hahn of Ness City; Scott (Angela) Dean of Thornton, CO; and Heather (Timothy) Jolly of Phoenix, AZ; eight great-grandchildren, two step great-grandchildren; one step great-great grandchild; one brother, Neal (Bonnie) Grover of Norman, OK; and many nieces and nephews. Her parents; sisters Ann and Hazel; and brothers, Harley and Gordon, preceded her in death.

She was raised in a Christian home and it was there that she came to know the love and person of Jesus Christ. Her love for the Lord and His infinite grace guided her all the days of her life. Helen was a lifelong member of the Methodist Church, where she served the Lord in teaching Sunday School, Meals on Wheels, music ministry, and Bible Study fellowship. Being a Girl Scout leader was very rewarding to her. She supported various missions, where her call to service in her later years was the sponsorship of numerous Third World and Native American children.

Helen was musically talented, and she loved singing and playing the organ, cello, and piano. She and her sister began singing duets in worship services when she was an early adolescent. Helen was also a talented seamstress, needleworker, and china painter. Her family has many times over been gifted by her creative endeavors, which provide endearing treasured memories for all of them.

She was a devoted and loving wife and mother. She adored her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, who brought her much joy. Helen loved to travel with the family, especially to the mountains, Hawaii, and Mexico. She gifted her children and their families to delightful family reunions with her at the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park. Those trips provide warm, delightful memories for all of them. Next to her love for the Lord, Helen would wish to be remembered for the love and faith she shared with her family. It defined her, delighted her, and made her who she was, and it will provide a profound legacy that will bless her family forever.

Funeral Services will be Wednesday, August 3, 2:00 P.M. at the Ness City United Methodist Church. Friends may call from 9 A.M. to 9 P.M. on Tuesday at Fitzgerald Funeral Home, Ness City, and 9 A.M. to 2 P.M. at the church on Wednesday. Burial in Ness City Cemetery. As a testament to Helen's ministry of support for Third world children, the family requests that, in lieu of flowers, memorial donations designated for Unsponsored Children be sent in her name to the worldwide Christian ministry: Compassion International, Colorado Springs, CO 80997-0009.