Helen J. Schaller

BESSEMER, Mich. - Helen J. (Turkal) Schaller, 99, died peacefully in a family home on Oct. 18, 2023. She was the last surviving sibling of 11 children.

Helen was one of the first female nurse anesthetists in the country beginning in the mid-1940s. She received her "on-the job" training in Detroit, spent a short time in Philadelphia, and then spent most of her career in Milwaukee at Columbia Hospital. Helen's compassion and dedication as a nurse anesthetist were the cornerstones of her adult life.

After marrying in her early 50s, she and her husband, Heinz, retired, splitting their time between Bessemer and Largo, Florida. Helen's final years were spent in Minnesota with many loving family members.

Funeral services will be held in Minnesota. Burial will take place at a later date at Hillcrest Cemetery in Bessemer.

Memorials can be made to the AANA Foundation (American Association of Nurse Anesthetists), to St. Sebastian Catholic Church in Bessemer, or to Starkey Hearing Foundation.

Helen, you have touched thousands of lives - family, friends, patients and strangers. Your quiet lessons of compassion, resilience, patience, humor, courage, fortitude, and faith will always be a part of us and guide us.

Go with God (Idi sa Bogom).