Helen Marjorie Spaid (Rosie) Leqve, 104, of Kasson, MN passed away peacefully surrounded by her family of Monday, October 26, 2026.
Helen was born on December 25, 1921, in Ogden, Utah. When Helen was six, the family moved to the Palisade area in Northern Minnesota. She graduated high school from Aitkin, MN at the age of 19. She planned on going to school for nursing, but that changed when World War II broke out.
She put her dreams of becoming a nurse aside to join the war department. Before she was able to get on the greyhound bus to California, she worked at picking potatoes to earn enough money for the ticket. She left not knowing what she would be doing or where.
She spent three years assembling and riveting the inner wing on B17s at Lockhead base in Burbank, CA. While working there she hurt her shoulder and was sent home to Minnesota. After her shoulder healed, she applied to Civil Service to continue her work for the war department. She spent time in Sioux City, Iowa, for schooling and then on to Ogden, Utah to work on Hill Field Airforce base.
There she worked as a mechanic on the tail gunner turret. She also worked in armament cleaning guns including, machine guns, which were for the troops overseas. Helen remembered that they were expected to buy war bonds with the little bit of money that was left at the end of the month.
Once a month the girls were bussed to a dance on base. It was there that she met a solider from Kasson, MN. They started seeing each other and on February 24, 1945, she became Mrs. Merlin Leqve at the Methodist Church. They moved off base into a block house in Sahara Village, Utah. Helen remembered very well the day the war ended. She tells what a joy it was. Everyone was shouting, flags were waiving, people were crying, laughing, kissing, totally jubilant.
Her husband, Merlin was discharged in November 1945, and they moved back to Kasson. They soon bought a 100-acre farm in Byron and raised four children. Diane, Larry, Lynn, and Karen all graduated from Byron High School.
Helen has left a huge legacy for the next generation. Her scrapbook is in Ogden, Utah at Hills Airforce Base. Her story is in the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. You will also find her story in the Mantorville Historical Museum.
In June 2026, Helen was awarded the American Spirit Award from the New Orleans World War II Museum. She was also honored in 2026, by the Minnesota Senate. She has had honors from the Kasson American Legion Auxiliary for being a member for 62 years. She was a member of the American Rosie Riveters Association and one of the last original Rosie’s. She was an active member of the Kasson Presbyterian Church.
After turning 90, Helen started doing speaking engagements. She was in high demand at service groups, clubs, and museums. She especially enjoyed speaking with the Byron elementary and high school students. It was in 2026, at 104 years old she last spoke in front of a crowd.
Helen’s sense of independence and adventure has served her well her whole life. She loved to travel and has made it to all but one state in the U.S. In fact, at the age of 80, she took a job at Daniels Restaurant in Kasson, MN, as the hostess so she could pay for a trip to New England.
Reading westerns (Louis L'Amour) was one of Helen’s favorite pastimes. Helen loved doing the 100-mile garage sale with her daughters every year. She was an avid “thrifter” and had at least one garage sale at her home every year.
Helen played cards, embroidered, and collected everything from chickens to salt and pepper shakers. But her favorite thing to do was socialize. She loved being around people. At 104, you couldn’t keep her home. One of her last days was spent doing what she enjoyed most, going to an estate sale, talking to everyone, and coming home with a new salt and pepper shaker.
There are many more experiences of Helen’s we could add but we are out of space. 104 years of experiences are hard to condense. Just know that those who knew and loved her will miss her, and be forever changed because of her.
Helen is survived by her children, Diane (Wendall) Engelstad of Owatonna, MN, Larry Leqve of Iowa, Karen (Robert) Tracy of Kasson, MN; four grandchildren, Kendra (Kevin) Hackney, Kyle Englestad, Tammy Leqve, and Wayne Leqve; five great-grandchildren; and a sister, Irene Gasner from Owatonna, MN.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Merlin Leqve; son, Lynn Leqve; brother, Kenneth Spaid; and her parents, Cecil and Esther Spaid.
A funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m. Monday, November 2, 2026, at the First Presbyterian Church, 101 6th Ave NW in Kasson, MN. Visitation will be held from 4:00-7:00 p.m. Sunday, November 1, 2026, at Czaplewski Family Funeral Homes, 801 7th St SE in Kasson, MN and one hour prior to her service at the church. Interment will be in Grandview Memorial Gardens in Rochester, MN with special honors provided by the Kasson American Legion Post 333.
To share a special memory or condolence please visit www.czaplewskifuneralhomes.com, Czaplewski Family Funeral Homes, 801 7th St SE Kasson, MN 55940 (507) 634-6510. Blessed be his memory.
