Helen Lucille Andrist was the 7th child of Frederick and Hattie (Stark) Andrist. She was born on November 23,1926 in Amberg, Wisconsin in a log house on their farm. At age twelve she was baptized in the White Rapids Pike River. She attended the White Rapids School and then went to Amberg High School graduating in 1945. On graduation night she and a girlfriend rode a train to Evanston, Illinois where they had jobs as a waitresses.

One night a guy Helen had dated for three years in high school, Arlie Johnson was sitting in a booth waiting to talk to her. He was in the Navy and heard that Helen was working in Evanston and came to find her. Arlie was then sent to the Naval Air Base in Corpus Christie, Texas, where they married on April 2, 1946. While Arlie was on the base Helen cooked for the commander and his family.

In 1947 Helen and Arlie returned to Amberg and then on to Nadeau, Michigan where Arlie worked for a Case Implement dealer. They had three children. After moving to Milwaukee Arlie worked for Allis Chalmers, she took a job at the hospital in the food service department. After several more moves, to California and finally to Topeka, Kansas, Helen worked at the Colmery-O'Neil Medical Center until she retired in 1989. They retired to live in Rockaway Beach, Missouri, near Branson. Arlie died of a massive heart attack on February 11, 1998.

Helen moved to Wichita, Kansas to be near her daughter, Paula, later her son Robert also moved to Wichita. Helen enjoyed her family, sewing, cooking, making crafts and always at her side were her various dogs.

In 2014 Helen moved with her daughter to San Tan Valley, Arizona to enjoy the sunshine and warm weather. She passed away on July 9, 2015. Her funeral was at the Westside Christian Church, Wichita, Kansas with burial beside Arlie and her daughter Bette in Mount Hope cemetery, Topeka, Kansas.

Blessed be her memory.