Mary Helen Knutson

FOREST CITY - Mary Helen Knutson, age 90 of Forest City, died Monday,
March 5, 2012 at Muse Norris Hospice Inpatient Unit in Mason City.

Funeral service will be held at 10:30 AM on Friday, March 9, 2012 at
the United Methodist Church in Forest City with Pastor Jerald Swanberg officiating.

Visitation will be held an hour prior to service at the church.

Inurnment will be in the spring in Emmetsberg, Iowa.

Mary Helen Knutson was born September 3, 1921 in Emmetsburg, Iowa the
youngest child of James Franklin Campbell and Emma Hazel (Noll) Campbell. On September 3, 1939 she was united in marriage to Curtis Knutson in Emmetsburg. The couple was married 63 years until Curt passed away in 2003. They made their home in Wells, MN for 18 years
where all of their children graduated high school. They later moved
to Forest City, IA where Curt was employed by Winnebago
Industries. They retired in 1978 and spent much of the next 20 years
traveling the continental United States and Canada in their
Winnebago Motor Home and made friends from shore to shore. Mary
Helen continued to reside in Forest City after Curt's
passing and valued the friendships that she made in that community
over the years.

A lifelong Methodist, Mary Helen was always involved in church
activities and especially enjoyed the ladies circles
that she joined over the years both in Wells and in Forest City and
even when travelling. She enjoyed keeping house and
was an especially avid reader, raising three children with the same
passion. She also loved and was loved by many pets
over the years and especially her last cat Smidgen.

Mary Helen was preceded in death by her parents; brothers: Raymond
Campbell and Richard Campbell; sister Bessie Fern Campbell; and beloved daughter Mary Kathleen Mangum in 2011.

Mary Helen is survived by her sons Ernest (Evangeline) Knutson of
Lindstrom, MN; Dan (Jerri) Knutson of Columbia, TN; four grandchildren: Dawn (Ken) Allerson of Osseo, MN; Diana (John) Novotny of Ham Lake, MN; William Mangum of Olivia, MN;and Eric John (Toni) Knutson of Rosemount, MN; and four
great-grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be directed to the
United Methodist Church Elevator Fund.