Helga Lotte (Eberhardt) Ranstrom, 87

Helga Lotte (Eberhardt) Ranstrom, age 87, went to be with her Lord Jesus on May 21, 2026. She died peacefully at home with her husband, Jerome, at her side.

Helga was born on March 27, 1939, to Eugen and Lotte in Schorndorf, Germany, the oldest of four with one sister, Elfriede, and brothers Horst and Dieter all still living in Germany. Her dad was a police officer and her mom a homemaker. They attended the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Schorndorf where she was both baptized and confirmed.

On Aug. 18, 1959, Helga boarded the M.S. Seven Seas for the journey of a lifetime. In her words … “I decided to leave home, to learn a new language and see new things.”

The first stop was moving to Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada with her friend Lisa Trummer. Lisa and Helga bought a car and in 1962, they moved to Ventura, Calif.

In 1965, Lisa introduced Helga to Jerome Ranstrom. They started dating and soon after were engaged. They were married on June 25, 1966.

Helga and Jerome had two children, Monica in 1969 and Mark in 1970. In 1977 the decision was made to move to Montana. After visiting friends in Charlo, they fell in love with the area.

The next years were filled with working in the school lunchroom, keeping up with an acre of raspberries, camping and hiking in Glacier National Park, and serving in a variety of ways at Faith Lutheran Church.

Helga loved people and enjoyed caring for others. This began at home in how she cared for Jerome and her children.

She was a great cook and baker and enjoyed teaching her kids and grandkids her recipes. She loved being an Oma to her three grandsons.

Helga knew how to make things beautiful, including her home and flower garden. She loved music; it was common to have Neil Diamond playing while the housework got done. She often would break out in song whenever something reminded her of a particular song.

She loved the old hymns. Some of our best memories are being in church as a family and hearing her sing.

Helga loved the Lord. Her faith was evident in all that she did, including how she lived out the last few years of her life. She is leaving a legacy of love and caring for others.

Helga is survived by her husband of 60 years, Jerome; daughter Monica (Chuck Sellner) and son Mark (Melissa); grandchildren Chase (Ariane), Tannar (Whitney), and Braiden; and great-granddaughter Luna.

A Celebration of Life service will be held at Faith Lutheran Church in Ronan on June 27 at 2 p.m. Donations in her name can be made to Faith Lutheran Church or Partners in Home Health Hospice.