Biography

Helen Elizabeth Oja, 93, died peacefully on April 18, 2016.

She was born in Hibbing on September 10, 1922 to John and Signe Elisabeth Jungarå Bloomquist, immigrants from Jeppo, Finland. John and Signe were Swedish-speaking Finns who first settled in Butte, Montana, then moved to Minnesota. John died in 1926; Signe passed away in 1968.

Raised on a farm in Maple Hill, Helen grew up in a world of kerosene lamps and wood stoves, and she worked hard in the fields picking crops and making hay with her family. She recalled that electricity came to Anderson Road in 1943 or '44.

Helen attended Maple Hill School, Hibbing High School (class of 1940), and Hibbing Community College. She married Onni Oja in 1941. After he was drafted to serve in World War II and stationed in Yuma, Arizona, Helen decided to follow him, settling nearby in San Diego, where she worked in the inspection office of Consolidated-Vultee Aircraft Corporation. After the war, she and Onni returned to Hibbing.

For thirty years, Helen worked as a legal secretary at Hulstrand, Abate, and Wivoda (later Abate, Wivoda, and Ketola), taking on a wide range of paralegal responsibilities.

A highly skilled cook and baker, Helen was also a knitter and avid reader, a life-long pleasure that began when the bookmobile visited Anderson Road during her childhood.

Helen joined Holy Trinity Lutheran Church when she married Onni and remained a faithful member throughout her life. For many years, she helped bake pasties for the church's popular sales. After selling her home in 2010, Helen lived for three years at the Lee Center for Independent Senior Living, participating happily in its supportive community. At age 91, health issues caused her to move to Guardian Angels Health and Rehabilitation Center, where she lived for two and a half years before her death.

She is survived by her daughter Carol Oja of Newton, Massachusetts; two grandchildren Zoe Oja Tucker (New York City) and Wynn Oja Tucker (Broad Run, Virginia); and sister-in-law Mary Johnson (Perry, Kansas).

She was preceded in death by her husband Onni; her brothers Roy Bloomquist and Andrew Johnson; and her son-in-law Mark Tucker.

Visitation will be Friday, April 22, 2016, from 10:00 a.m. until the 11:00 a.m. Funeral Service at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Hibbing. Pastor Brian Birk will officiate. Interment will be in the Hibbing Park "Maple Hill" Cemetery.

Family services are provided by Anderson-Daniels, a Bauman Family Funeral Home, in Hibbing. To express condolences on-line please see: www.baumanfuneralhome.com.

Friday April 22, 2016 , 10:00 a.m. at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church

Friday April 22, 2016 , 11:00 a.m. at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church

Friday April 22, 2016 at Hibbing Park Cemetery

Facts Born: September 10, 1922
Place of Birth: Hibbing, MN
Death: April 18, 2016
Place of Death: Hibbing, MN
Occupation: Legal Secretary
Hobbies: handcrafts & knitting, Baking
Organizations: OES