Sasse, Helen Edna (Woodruff)

(1939 – 2021) – St. Louis, MO

 Helen E. Sasse (Woodruff)
May 3, 1939 – Dec. 21, 2021
St. Louis, MO.

Helen Sasse (Woodruff), loving wife, proud mother, and grandmother, died peacefully on Dec. 21, 2021.  She was 82.  Helen’s passions started and ended with taking care of young children, but always allowing time to enjoy her strong loyalty to her home-town St. Louis Cardinals.  She was born May 3, 1939, the youngest of ten children to Sophia (Schwartz) & Emry Woodruff in Southwest St. Louis County, fortuitously close to the Concordia Lutheran Seminary.  She attended Lutheran High Central, enjoying using her height and skills to play on the varsity volleyball and softball teams. She then followed along the same path of four of her older sisters, first securing a job at the Seminary, and then falling in love with one of the students.

She married that student, Alvin (Al) Sasse in 1961, moved to the suburbs of Chicago, IL to start a parish with him, and they eventually raised four children, the first three born in Elmhurst, IL., the last in St. Louis, MO., where Helen and Al spent the rest of her life, celebrating 60 years of marriage.

Her family’s early years revolved in and around the congregation’s activities.  Helen embraced the role of a pastor’s wife.  Her true strength and deepest loyalty came from her strong faith and the knowledge that heaven would welcome her when her time came.  After enduring numerous health issues, she was ready to meet her Lord in peace.

Through the years, Helen provided child care to some of the neighbor’s children, while juggling her kids’ school activities – sports, concerts, projects – as well as big holiday celebrations with many of her siblings, nieces and nephews and an annual trip to Lake Okoboji, Iowa where other siblings and their families would join for occasional family reunions.  They needed a lot of cabins during those years.

Eventually Helen and Al would come to enjoy 12 grandchildren (eight girls and four boys) and as they grew up, Helen doted on them, but her true joy in life came from taking care of babies and toddlers. Helen held numerous child care positions – though she would call them extended family time – until her poor health stopped her, only in very recent years.  She would care about those kids just like she would her own grandchildren and lived for the moments of play and (shared) learning.

In recent years, Helen has also found enthusiasm for another hometown professional sports team, the St. Louis Blues and extended her Cardinal loyalties to them as well.  (She assured all that it had nothing to do with their winning the Stanley Cup.)

Helen was preceded in death by her parents, two brothers and five sisters and grandson, Andrew. She is survived by sisters Emerald Schoepp and Doris Collison and by husband Al, children Art, Sharon (Silleck, and husband Jeffrey), Paul, and Dan (wife, Anne Brafford), and 11 grandchildren including Gabrielle, Alex, Hailey, Tim, Olivia, Joel, Lilly, Sophie, Caroline, Annemarie, & MJ, and many more extended family and friends who loved her dearly.

Visitation will be held at Kutis Funeral Home, Affton Chapel 10151 Gravois Road, St. Louis, Missouri , 63123 on December at 29 pm at 4:00 – 6:00 pm and funeral services will follow the next day in the chapel at Laclede Groves, 723 S Laclede Station Rd, St. Louis, MO 63119 at 10:30 am. Please note, masks will be required.

Helen will be laid to rest next to her parents at Memorial Park Cemetery.  The family asks that you send donations in memory of Helen Sasse to the Alzheimer’s Association https://www.alz.org/get-involved-now/donate.