Paul Van Helten

Paul Alfred Van Helten, 95, passed on August 16th, 2023, at Prairie Vista Village in Altoona, Iowa.

Paul was born to John and Alice (Den Burger) Van Helten on December 16th, 1927, in Pleasantville, Iowa. He was the second youngest in a family of four boys and one girl.

He graduated in 1950 from Drake University with a degree in finance. While attending Drake, he met Ella Mae Willemsen. Their first date was a Drake basketball game in the old fieldhouse. They married at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana, on July 21, 1951 — him with only a broken radio and her with $1000 in the bank.

Drafted in 1951 and released in 1953, Paul served in the Finance Corps of the Army during the Korean War. He took great pride in his military service and was an active American Legion member until his death.

After the war, the Van Heltens moved to Corwith, where Paul worked at Corwith State Bank, and they moved to Mitchellville in 1976, where he worked as an independent insurance agent. Paul and Ella Mae had three children: Steven, William “Bill,” and Kara Sue. As a father, Paul was patient and affectionate, and he made a point to read to his kids every night.

As a grandpa of 8, he will be remembered for his lively storybook readings, adventurous (and occasionally tragicomic) fishing trips, and teaching each grandchild how to play Rook. He often greeted his loved ones wryly with “here comes trouble!” More emblematic of his love, however, was him reminding his family to “remember who you are” whenever they left home. Paul never forgot where he came from, and he took pride in his Dutch heritage and compiled a lengthy genealogy of his and Ella Mae’s families.

Throughout his life, Paul remained an enthusiastic conversationalist, able to stir up a debate or find a connection with anyone sitting next to him. As his family says, “he never met a stranger.” He was also known as a “cardshark,” willing to bet high, bluff big, and somehow win against all odds. Even in the last years of his life at Prairie Vista, he was an oft-requested cribbage and dominoes player, partly because he was fun and spunky… but also because he couldn’t hear a word of gossip said at the table.

He will be greatly missed.

Paul is preceded in death by his son Bill, his parents, and his siblings. He is survived by his wife Ella Mae; his son Steve (Dorothy) and two children Michael and Susan; daughter Kara Boothroyd (Todd) and three children, Mitch, Katie Payton (Colin), and Rachel; his daughter-in-law Erika and three children, Adam, Ethan (Alex), and Seth.

A 10 a.m. visitation and an 11 a.m. service will take place at Mitchellville United Methodist Church in Mitchellville, IA, on Monday, August 21st. A burial at Mitchellville cemetery will immediately follow.

Online condolences may be expressed at www.hamiltonsfuneralhome

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