Helen Bernice Finkle (88), Portland, Oregon was born in Maddock North Dakota June 7, 1930 to John L. and Martina (Waagen) Aanderud. Helen went to be with her Lord June 7, 2018. She was the youngest of nine children surviving infancy. She was part of an extended family of numerous brothers and sisters, in-laws, aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews that could exceed 150 at family gatherings. She was preceded in death by a loving and devoted husband of nearly 60 years, William H. "Bill" Finkle, her parents, in-laws, son-in-law Philip A. Penttila, seven brothers, two sisters, five sisters-in-law, and three brothers-in-law. She is survived by her sister Marlys Aanderud Hill. She has three children Julie Haberman (Keith) of Portland, OR, Cynthia Penttila (Philip) of Aberdeen, WA, Timothy Finkle (Brenda) of Prineville, OR, seven grandchildren: William Penttila, Kiersten Finkle, Andrew Penttila, Jeffrey Haberman, Kariann Penttila, Kody Haberman, and Emily Penttila, and one great grandchild: Aili Penttila (Andrew and Maggie Penttila).

Helen loved her Lord, her family, and her friends. Her family was founding members of Central Lutheran Church in Portland, OR where Helen was confirmed, and was later married to William H. "Bill" Finkle in 1956. She was active as a member of all city Luther League and later served as an advisor. She transferred to Resurrection Lutheran Church where she was a faithful attendee, supporter of sewing and charity groups, and member of pinochle groups.

Helen graduated from Commerce High School (now Cleveland) in Portland, OR with a specialty in office management and accounting. She worked for various companies in her youth, notably Meier & Frank, but her passion was banking. She retired from US Bank after 25 years. She worked various positions rising from teller, to data processing, to account management and completed her career as a commercial loan processor and insurance policy reviewer. A highlight was the first loan she processed for over $1,000,000.00.

Helen and Bill loved ballroom dancing and were part of a dance club for many years. They enjoyed traveling; taking cruises to Alaska, the Panama Canal, and Norway along with trips to Europe and Canada. Helen was able to trace back her full Norwegian heritage visiting family in Oslo, Trondheim and Jorvik. Her love of her Norwegian culture and heritage ran deep. She was a founding member of the Daughters of Norway and a member of the Lutheran Daughters of America. She loved going to the beach at Rockaway, OR but could often be seen working on a crossword puzzle or planning a special meal or activity for her children and grandchildren. She and Bill played cards for many years every other week with a group of their closest friends. Growing African violets in her kitchen window and watching the birds were two of her favorite past times, but sewing and crochet were her passion. She made everything including baby clothes and blankets for church, family clothes, school choir uniforms and even a tuxedo. She remained dedicated to her jig saw puzzles throughout her life. Helen was loved by all who met her. She will be greatly missed.

A memorial service will be held at Skyline Memorial Gardens, 4101 NW Skyline Blvd., Portland, Oregon, (503) 292-6611 on Saturday, July 7, 2018, at 2pm. She will be laid to rest at 3pm at the same location with a reception to follow shortly thereafter.