John Helgeson

John Greibrok Helgeson
Resident of North Oaks, Minnesota
January 5, 1929 – December 11, 2021

John Greibrok Helgeson passed away peacefully on December 11, 2021 at Waverly Gardens in North Oaks, MN.

He was born on January 5, 1929 in Crookston, MN, to Peter Christian Helgeson, a grain elevator manager, and Gertrude Irene Olson Helgeson, a teacher. John enjoyed small town life “where people could go everywhere and trust anybody.” A highlight for young John was in 1936 when he and his family had front row seats at Franklin Delano Roosevelt's campaign stop in Devil’s Lake, ND. After graduating from Crookston High School in 1946, he attended Concordia College in Morehead, MN, graduating in 1950. He met his beloved wife Ruth Marie Jacobson through a college friend, and they married on August 19, 1951. In 1954 he received his theology degree from Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN, and served for 8 years as a Lutheran pastor in the small communities of Irene, SD and Greenbush, MN. During this time daughter Maren was born, but died in infancy, followed by surviving sons Peter and Michael, and daughter Mary.

In the fall of 1962 John decided to make a career change and left the ministry to study theology at the University of Edinburgh, in Scotland. In the summer of 1963, the family toured Europe towing a small camping trailer behind an even smaller Volkswagen sedan. Returning to the United States, John served as an instructor of religion at Pacific Lutheran University from fall 1963 through spring 1965. There he met another famous politician, John F. Kennedy, just a few months before JFK’s untimely death. In summer 1965 John moved to Oakland, CA to attend Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. In 1970, he made another career change, joining the US Postal Service in Oakland. In 1984 he and Ruth moved to Walnut Creek, CA, where they joined the congregation of St. Matthew Lutheran Church.

John retired as the Byron-Discovery Bay Postmaster in 1992. During a long and happy retirement, he and Ruth enjoyed theater, concerts, travel, church activities and volunteering with Loaves and Fishes of Contra Costa County. John played golf with friends at every opportunity, usually followed by robust discussions of history and theology. He was known for his calm, thoughtful approach to life, gracious and forgiving nature, wide-ranging interests, curiosity, and open-mindedness. He was an avid do-it-yourselfer, could repair virtually anything from cars to televisions, and loved personal computers to the point of becoming a Windows expert.

Ruth suffered a stroke in 2010, followed by gradual cognitive decline, and John became her tireless caregiver until 2013 when she moved to a nearby memory care facility. John was her side when Ruth passed away on September 22, 2014. After a fall in 2019, John needed assisted living services and moved back to Minnesota to be closer to his sons.

John is preceded in death by his infant daughter Maren, who died in 1953, his sister Georgia Flaat (Lowell, also deceased) of Bemidji, MN, and his wife Ruth. He is survived by his children Peter Helgeson, (Sharon Lorraine), of Vadnais Heights, MN, Dr. Michael Helgeson, (Mary) of Andover MN and Mary Johnsen, (Jim) of Fairbanks, AK; and his grandchildren Greta Johnsen, of Chicago, IL, Jakob Johnsen, of Washington, DC, and Dr. Sonja Helgeson, (Eric Topel), of Roseville, MN.

A celebration of life will be held in the Twin Cities area at a time to be determined in the spring, followed by an inurnment ceremony at noon on May 29, 2022 at St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church in Walnut Creek, CA. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that donations be made to Loaves and Fishes of Contra Costa County, or Apple Tree Dental of Minnesota.