Saturday March 7 at 11:00 a.m. at
Trinity Lutheran Church in Bonners Ferry, with
rite of interment following at Grandview
Cemetery.Helen was born on December 4, 1919 in Greenwood, British Columbia, Canada to Alfred and Beata Pontesso; she had two brothers, Leonard and Arnold. At the age of six months, the family moved to Eastport, Idaho. Helen attended schools at Eastport, Bonners Ferry, and Spokane, graduating from North Central High School in Spokane in 1936.
Following two years of college at the University of Idaho, Helen began her teaching career at a one-room school house at Cow Creek, Idaho. She taught school for thirty years in Boundary County schools before retiring. The most rewarding part of teaching was seeing the “light” come on when a student realized they were learning. She was pleased to be remembered by her former students and was delighted when they visited her throughout her retirement years.
On January 24, 1942 Helen married Otis (Curly) Simon in Wallace, Idaho. They had three daughters, Donna, Judy and Beatrice.
Following retirement, Helen enjoyed her passion for playing the piano, reading, quilting, crossword puzzles and especially delighted in playing board games and card games with friends and family.
Helen is survived by a daughter, Judy (Bill) Anderson; sons-in-law Duane Day and John Vlcek; grandchildren Brian (Shana) Steele; Ketta (Jeff) Everhart; Toni Anderson, John Vlcek, Jason (Amanda) Vlcek; and 10 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, two daughters, two brothers and a granddaughter.