Alice Marie Heller

Heller, Alice (Lilibridge) passed away peacefully on June 15th at her home in Coon Rapids. She lived a full life of 93 years surrounded by many loving friends and family. She is preceded in death by her husband Clayton, parents, William and Inez (Duncan) Lilibridge, brothers Wayne and Lyle, and her son Greg. She is survived by her daughter Kim (Rick) Kohout, grandchildren Michael, Melissa, Ryan and Patrick Kohout, and her dear friends Doris and Judy. Born in 1926, Alice was the youngest of three children. She grew up on her parents' farm near Lebanon, South Dakota. She was well-loved and spent her youth surrounded by friends, aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents. She was so well-loved, in fact, that she was chosen as Homecoming Queen her senior year of high school (1944). After High School, Alice and a friend boarded a train to Minneapolis to attend the Gale Institute where she studied teletype, Morse code, meteorology and other courses that would prepare her for a career in the booming air transportation industry. Alice's studies paid off, and in 1944 she was hired on the spot by Northwest Airlines as a Reservations Coordinator. On a fateful day in 1945, one of Alice's girlfriends from NWA invited her to a New Years' sleigh ride party. There, she met the love of her life, Clayton Heller. The two instantly hit it off and were later married on October 18, 1947. Clayton and Alice made their home on Washburn Avenue in Southwest Minneapolis. They adopted two children, Greg and Kim. Alice said that her children made her life complete, and her home truly became a home once they arrived. Work and family life were both important to Alice, and she was able to expertly balance both. From 1965-1990, she worked at the Star Tribune as an Advertising Representative for the travel section. She loved her work and made many lifelong friends during her time at the Star Tribune. She also made plenty of time for Sunday dinners with her family, trips back home to South Dakota, vacations "up north," and treasured family trips to Yellowstone, Boston, Seattle, San Diego, Phoenix, Mexico and Hawaii. Clayton passed away in 1984 when Alice was just 57 years old. After his passing, Alice's grandchildren became her life. They enjoyed weekly visits where she taught them to bake cookies, make crafts, and best of all let them stay up late, eat desserts and watch cable TV. She had the wisdom of a person who had been around the world a million times. Even though her mobility was restricted during the last 10 years of her life, she could still take you on a journey through her incredible stories. She loved reading, cooking, quilting, cross stitch, gardening and many other hobbies. She kept her mind sharp and frequently taught her own daughter how to complete tasks on her computer! She was an incredibly warm, kind, intelligent and patient person and we were very lucky to have had her in our lives. "Well, I'm all grown up now, in fact I am to the age that I am ungrowing....getting shorter every year. Only want to say that really my life just began when I married Clayton, when we had our children, when we had grandchildren...our life, our home was complete. There will always be new challenges, worries coming into the lives of my loved ones, but embrace the good moments and memories and you follow the changing future. Just keep a steady hand on the oar as you ride the waves."- Alice Heller Alice's family would like to express our deepest thanks to her Hospice staff for the care and companionship throughout the last stage of her life, both for Alice and her family.

Tributes

Alice Marie Heller

December 12, 1926 - June 15, 2020

Tributes

Alice Marie Heller

December 12, 1926 - June 15, 2020

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