Audrey Jean (Johnson) Helin

Audrey Jean (Johnson) Helin passed away at 87 years of age on Friday, July 21, 2023 among friends at her beloved Hoffmantown Church in Albuquerque.

She was born August 27, 1935 in Rice, Minnesota to Lawrence E. Johnson and Alice (Boehm) Johnson. She was the older sister to her brother Larry Johnson, who today lives with his wife, Julie, in Phoenix, Arizona, where Audrey visited them frequently.

Audrey was raised in the Highland Park suburb of St. Paul, Minnesota, where her father was a supervisor at the Twin Cities Ford Motor assembly plant. Growing up, she was surrounded by loving relatives, including her mother Alice's three siblings, Gladys Hahn, Bill Boehm and Ed Boehm and their extended families. Audrey graduated from the University of Minnesota with distinction with a Bachelor of Science degree specializing in Foods and Nutrition. She was a member of Phi Epsilon Omicron and Omicron Nu honor societies. At the UofM she met Robert (Bob) Edward Helin where they enjoyed attending school dances and befriending the football team captain. They were married on December 28, 1957 in St. Paul. She was married to the love of her life for 54 years until Bob passed on December 23, 2015 in Albuquerque at their cherished retirement home.

In her long career, Audrey succeeded in the many roles she assumed, including most notably serving as:

• Home Economist in the New Products area for the Minneapolis-based Pillsbury Company, which led to frequent trips to New York City, Indianapolis, Milwaukee and Chicago;

• Home Economist and Hostess for the Byerly Foods grocery chain in the Twin Cities;

• Lead organizer for consumer parties of 80 to 200 people for the Safeway grocery company in Colorado Springs;

• Lifestyle Editor for the daily Valley Courier newspaper in Alamosa, Colorado; and

• Business Procedures Consultant for MetLife's International Department based in New York, where she was responsible or its global newsletter and conference planning across the world. She was most proud of this role for the remainder of her life.

In addition to the above-mentioned destinations, Audrey and Bob lived in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin; Summit, New Jersey; Rochester, New York; Mound, Minnesota; Norman, Oklahoma; Jersey City; and Sante Fe, New Mexico. They also served for a year with a nonprofit Christian organization in Kampala, Uganda.

Audrey is survived by her son, David W. Helin, and his wife, Sodov Batdorj Helin, and their sons, Kevin Batdorj-Toth and Samuel Chingis Toth; her brother, Larry, and his wife, Julie (Niemi) Johnson and their son, Tom Reagan; Don Helin, brother in law; and cousins Linda Hahn and Bill Boehm.

"She was loved by all who knew her and will be missed and cherished always," writes her family.

There will be a memorial service for Audrey on Friday, August 4, 2023, at 10:00 a.m., at the Hoffmantown Church, 8888 Harper Drive NE. A cemetery memorial for Audrey and Bob Helin can be found at Sunset Memorial Park at 924 Menaul Boulevard NE in Albuquerque.