Helen Rose (Lang) Franken

Helen Rose (Lang) Franken, 88, joined heaven’s angels on December 25, 2021, in Overland Park, KS. The seventh of nine siblings, Helen was born on May 10, 1933, in Boonville, MO, to Joseph and Rosa Lang. In 1951, she was the first in her family to graduate high school (Pilot Grove).

On a blizzard-ing Christmas Eve in 1951, Harry Anthony Franken proposed to Helen. On June 5, 1952, she married Harry at St Joseph’s Catholic Church in Pilot Grove, MO. Following the wedding, she moved to Tipton, MO, where the two would reside and raise their growing family. Harry and Helen raised six girls while becoming one of the top farmers in the county. The couple remained active members of St Andrew’s Catholic Church until each of their passing.

To many, Helen was known as a mother and grandmother. She and Harry were proud to watch their daughters grow into strong women and begin families of their own. Together, they had twelve grandchildren and numerous great-grandchildren.

Following her husband’s death (2009), she moved to Overland Park, KS to reside near one of her daughters (Rita) where she would remain until her passing. While in Overland Park, she was a member of Ascension Catholic Church, Life Time Fitness, and a resident at Tallgrass Creek. While at Tallgrass Creek, she enjoyed a newfound circle of friends and always found her way into a card game.

She is survived by her children (Victoria Schroeder, Catherine Turner, Wanda Thompson, Brenda Patterson, Rita Sterrett, and Lisa Cleveland), eleven grandchildren, and numerous great-grandchildren.

She is preceded in death by her husband, Harry Franken; parents, Joe and Rosa Lang; eight siblings; and grandson, Stephen Thompson.

Funeral services will be held on Friday, December 31, 2021, at St Andrew’s Catholic Church in Tipton, MO. There will be a rosary at 9:30 am, visitation at 10:00 am, and funeral mass at 11:00 am.

Burial to follow in the St Andrew’s Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations are made to St. Andrew’s Catholic Church or Cemetery at 106 W Cooper St, Tipton MO, 65081.

Funeral Arrangements are under the direction of Meisenheimer-Page-Dady Funeral Home, Tipton, MO.