Helen Marie Steves (Clayton) Carlson

Helen Marie was born on March 22, 1942, at the Menomonie Hospital to Rosella Topdahl (Steves) Cowell and Vincent Steves. After a long illness, Helen, age 83, of Elmwood, Wisconsin, passed away peacefully on Monday, December 1, 2025, at Mayo Clinic Hospital in Rochester, Minnesota.

She is survived by her devoted husband, Lyle Carlson (granddaughter Emily Carlson); her children: Scott Clayton (Laura) – grandchildren Chance (Brittany) and great-grandchildren Adrian and Grant; Hunter (Kendra) and great-grandchildren Jackson, Addison, and Emersyn; Baylee (Brandon) and great-grandchildren Harrison, Landree, and Mattilyn. Heidi Metz (Michael, deceased) – grandchildren Mason (Claire) and great-grandchild Valarie; and Clayton (Katie). Tanya DeLong (Al) – grandchildren Taylin and Ela. Joshua Clayton (Amy).

Helen is also survived by her siblings Rita Hanson, Marlene Huley, Jean Ann Drier, and Grant Steves. She was preceded in death by her parents, Vincent and Rosella Steves; her brother, Ray Steves; and her former husband, Louis Clayton.

Helen attended Louisville Elementary School and later graduated from Durand High School in 1960. Following graduation, she worked at the First Bank of St. Paul, Minnesota, before beginning her family life.

On February 3, 1962, she married Louis Clayton at the Menomonie Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses. After their divorce in 1980, Helen later married Lyle Carlson on March 23, 1985, also at the Menomonie Kingdom Hall. This partnership brought her joy, companionship, and a warm home filled with family.

Helen was employed at the Heritage of Elmwood Nursing Home from 1977 until her retirement in 2010. She specialized in caring for patients with memory challenges, for which she was deeply respected. Her coworkers remember her as patient, hard-working, tenderhearted, and willing to give of herself without hesitation. She carried the same love and dedication into her roles as mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother.

A longtime and faithful member of the Menomonie Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, Helen lived her beliefs quietly but powerfully. She embraced the counsel of Ephesians 4:32— “become kind to one another, tenderly compassionate, freely forgiving one another just as God also by Christ freely forgave you.” She reflected the enduring qualities of a deep faith, a firm hope, and agape love that gave without expectation from all she knew, as described in 1 Corinthians 13:13. Those who knew her saw these qualities not as something she spoke of but something she lived.

A visit to Helen’s home nearly always ended with a cup of coffee, a homemade dessert—pistachio pudding, chocolate cookies, or whatever treat she had ready—or an invitation to stay for a meal. Her home was a place where guests felt welcomed, listened to, and cared for.

Helen found deep joy in the natural world. She protected the milkweed that sustained monarch butterflies and cherished the framed photographs of monarchs and donkeys that decorated her walls. Her appreciation of simple beauty helped others slow down and notice it too.

Her granddaughters, Taylin and Ela, fondly remember what they called their “grandmother’s taxi service,” which brought them to and from school each day. It was a small example of her devotion to her grandchildren and to Elmwood, a community she cherished, and that returned her kindness many times over.

The heart of Helen and Lyle’s home was the extended kitchen Lyle built—a warm, light-filled gathering space where special occasions were celebrated, stories were shared, and countless meals were enjoyed. There, Helen often spoke of her hope in the resurrection promised in Scripture: a future time when families would be reunited, joy restored, and loss replaced with peace.

In place of flowers, Helen would hope that each person honor her memory by loving those around them, appreciating the beauty of nature, and taking time each day to remember and value the family and friends, both those still present and those who have gone before.

A Memorial Service will be held at 4:00 p.m. on Friday January 9, 2026 at Olson Funeral Home in Menomonie, WI. A visitation will be held two hours prior to the service from 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Burial will be at Pleasant Valley Cemetery in the Town of Dunn, Dunn County, WI at a later date.

To share a memory, please visit obituaries at www.olsonfuneral.com