Helen Louise Burgert

Helen Louise Burgert, 89, died peacefully at Charter House on Thursday, January 16th, 2014. Helen was born to Adolph C. and Viola C. Eifert on January 5, 1925, and grew up on a farm near Waukomis, Oklahoma.She met her future husband, E. Omer Burgert, Jr. at Bethany Church in Enid, Oklahoma, where they were married on September 5, 1948. After graduation from Waukomis High School in 1942, Helen attended Oklahoma A & M College and received her B.S. degree in 1946. She did her Dietetic Internship at the University of Michigan in 1947 and worked as a dietician at St. Luke's Hospital in Chicago, Illinois (1947-48) and later at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Helen served as the Dietetic Supervisor at Madonna Towers in Rochester, MN from 1978 to 1990. Helen was blessed with three children, Mark, Stephen, and Carolyn. Helen and Omer have lived continuously in Rochester, Minnesota since 1957. Helen was active in the First Presbyterian Church of Rochester, where she served as an Elder and Clerk of Session. She participated in the leadership of Rochester Area Church Council, Church Women United, PEO, AAUW, and League of Women Voters organizations, and also served as an Election Judge. She was preceded in death by her parents and her three siblings, Donald L. Eifert, Dorothy Eifert Hiddleston, and Vivian Jean Eifert Heard.Helen is survived by her husband, Dr. E. Omer Burgert, Jr; her children, Mark E. Burgert, Stephen L. Burgert, and Carolyn J. Tanksley; her grandchildren, Johann, Clara and Martin Burgert, and Brian and Loren Tanksley; and her great-granddaughter, Madeleine Burgert. A memorial service to celebrate Helen's life and faith will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 1st, at the First Presbyterian Church in Rochester, MN. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be directed to the American Cancer Society or First Presbyterian Church of Rochester.