26 Dec Peggy Helphrey

After a long battle with Alzheimer’s/Dementia, on Sunday, December 24, 2023, Peggy Helphrey, the best of us, passed away at the age of 74.

A Memorial Service will be held at St. George’s Episcopal Church at 11:00 AM on Thursday, December 28.  The burial will follow at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery in Mandan at 3:00 PM.

Peggy was born on August 6, 1949, in Watford City, North Dakota. She had a magical childhood, raised by her parents, Homer and Alice Sorenson, on a ranch at the edge of the Badlands. As the only girl, Peggy was expected to help her mother in the house, but she preferred to be outside with the boys- always proving that she could do everything they could. She attended a small country school through her elementary years and lived with relatives in Watford City when it was time to go to high school- that is when her grandma taught her to drink coffee (and boy, could she drink coffee)! Peggy graduated from Watford City High School in 1967.

Shortly after getting settled into her dorm room at NDSU, where she planned to major in Home Economics, Peggy met the love of her life. She thought he was extremely funny, exciting, and handsome. Peggy Sorenson married Jim Helphrey on September 6, 1969.

The couple resided in Fargo, Devils Lake, Bismarck, and St. Cloud, Minnesota as they took care of their first child, Kris. Their second child, Luke, was born in 1979 and made the family complete.

Through the years, Peggy worked for Beneficial Finance, Associate Finance, the St. Cloud Times, and as the Credit Supervisor at The Bismarck Tribune. She was known to be “small but mighty” in her business dealings.

Always looking to help make the community better, Peggy was generous with her time, volunteering at St. George’s Episcopal Church, with St. Alexius Hospice, and with the Bismarck High School Parent Advisory Committee.

Lake Isabel was Peggy’s heaven on earth. She loved getting up early in the morning to watch the sunrise- taking thousands of pictures over the years. She enjoyed all the projects and improvements that come with owning a lake property and especially loved sharing it with others. Later in life, she even learned to swim- just good enough to save herself if she needed to.

Peggy is survived by her husband, Jim Helphrey; daughter, Kris (Jim) Thompson; son, Luke Helphrey; grandchildren, Mason, Megan, Maddex, and Knox; great-grandchildren, Noah, and Link; and brothers, Craig (Barb) Sorenson and Wayne (Cindy) Sorenson.

She was proceeded in death by her parents, Homer and Alice Sorenson; her in-laws, Earl and Ott Helphrey; a special sister-in-law, Juanita Boyd-Helphrey, and a nephew, Brent Sorenson.

Peggy was the ultimate caretaker, often putting her life on hold for someone in need. She was a loyal and devoted daughter, wife, mother, sister, aunt, grandmother, and friend. She loved fiercely, never giving up on goodness and she believed that with a little work all things would work out in the end. We can best remember Peggy by paying forward the same consideration and thoughtfulness that she gave to the world.