Helen D. Nemzek

Helen D. Nemzek, 93, died on May 5, 2020, of complications from Covid-19. She was born June 24, 1926, in Stella, NE, on the farm owned by her parents, Eugene D. and Grace Plasters. She attended a one-room schoolhouse through eighth grade, then went to Stella High School where she was class valedictorian. She went to the University of Nebraska on a Regents Scholarship. She majored in speech and theater. She became the first woman to win the Missouri Valley Debate Conference, using a case written for her by Theodore Sorensen, who went on to become speech writer for John F Kennedy.

She was also named the Sweetheart of Company C, part of the War Department’s Army Specialized Training Program, called the ASTP, which sent solders to campuses across the country. She recalled the experience almost 70 years later in an interview with the University of Nebraska Foundation: https://nufoundation.org/a-love-story-for-the-boys-of-company-c/

After graduation she became a radio announcer in Lincoln and Omaha, NE, and Council Bluffs and Fort Dodge, Iowa. She and her first husband, Don French, hosted a morning radio show called “French Toast.” She also did a woman-on-the-street interview show called “A Penny for Your Thoughts.” They counted Johnny Carson and his first wife among their close friends.

After moving to Fargo-Moorhead, Helen became office manager for Kerke’s Architecture firm. In 1959, she married Jim Nemzek and moved to Moorhead. Helen and Jim had two children, Jean and Bob. They were active members of St. Francis de Sales parish, the Knights of Columbus, and the American Legion.

After her children entered school, Helen became office manager for the Clay County Health Department, a position she held until she retired.

She and Jim spent their retirement years enjoying their cottage on Lake Sallie and traveling throughout the US as well as to the Bahamas and Mexico.

Helen continued to live on her own until her late 80s, when she moved into an independent living apartment at Linden Tree. After some health problems, she moved into the Eventide skilled care facility.

She is survived by her children, Dr. Laura French, Dr. Jean Nemzek-Hamlin (Jeff) and Dr. Robert Nemzek (Caroline Collins). She was preceded in death by her parents, Gene and Grace Plasters, brother Jack and sister Julia Jeanne, her husband James Nemzek and longtime companion Patrick Detwiller.

The family is grateful to the staff of Eventide’s Heritage Center and Transitional Care Unit for the time and attention they gave to Mother. We are grateful to Becky, her personal attendant from Griswold Home Care, who did so much to improve Mother’s quality of life in the past year.

There will be a private burial with a memorial service at a later date, when we can gather safely to remember Helen’s unforgettable intelligence, beauty and wit.

Memorials preferred to University of Nebraska/Lincoln Foundation, St. Francis de Sales in Moorhead or Cat’s Cradle Shelter in Fargo.