Sister Helen Vahling embraced going home to God on July 29, 2023. After a stroke in June, which caused her to be moved from the StoryPoint Memory Care unit to Ascension Villa Franciscan nursing home, she was accepted into hospice care when she could not swallow. The ability to swallow eventually returned so that she was able to eat with zest and continued life with amazing stamina into late July. Seemingly unresponsive in her final week, Helen did speak last words to a comforting caregiver. She said, “Thank you.”

Helen was born on May 31, 1934, to Anna (Osterhaus) and Ferdinand Vahling. As one of five children, she grew up on a dairy farm in the Catholic German area of Teutopolis. Life on the farm nurtured her, strengthened her, brought her close to the earth, led her to understand St. Francis, and ultimately infused her with a readiness to be at home with her Creator. Being one of the oldest siblings, Helen said, “I had an over-developed sense of duty and responsibility and an under-developed sense of fun and leisure. Looking back on my life, I’m amazed how God gently and firmly led me to experiences that I would never have dreamed of or chosen.”

Read More About Sister Helen’s Life

If you would like to make a donation in honor of Sister Helen or another Joliet Franciscan Sister, please click here:  Remembering our Deceased Sisters.