Helen Mary Rocheleau, 95, passed away on Monday, April 6, 2026, while surrounded by her sister and multiple nieces and nephews, whose love for her is undying. Helen passed in the home her parents built and which she so loved, where she lived since age 6. Assisting her to remain in her beloved home until her death was the final gift her family was able to give her.

Helen was born on January 7, 1931, to John and Leona (Redle) Rocheleau. After initially residing with her parents and sister, Peggy, at her grandparents' home on Broadway Street, the family moved into Helen's current home, soon to be joined by Helen's youngest sister, Barb.

Helen was a lifelong member of Annunciation Catholic Church, attending eight years of elementary school there and graduating from St. Joseph Academy in 1948. That same year, at age 17, Helen began a 45-year career at Wisconsin Public Service, retiring in 1993 to take care of her mother, when Leona's health began failing. Helen began as a bookkeeper, worked in customer service, and ultimately put her sharp intellect to work calculating the costs for utility extensions into the large number of developments then arising in the Green Bay area. As part of that job, she frequently went out into the field on job sites, a change of pace she enjoyed and which led to multiple funny stories for years to come.

Going into the field was a reflection of Helen's lifelong love of the outdoors. Throughout her life she happily reminisced about her days fishing with her dad and sister, Barb, and riding her bike out to the Ashwaubenon farm that had been homesteaded by her great-aunt and great-uncles, bringing in the cows and driving the horse-drawn wagon during haying season. She would always say it was the place she loved best in her childhood.

Those experiences of being of service and being surrounded by loving adults translated into how Helen lived her entire adult life. She became the adult who helped every family member, from infants to her aging parents. She devoted her life to caring for her parents as they lost capacity and did it with a devotion unfettered by complaint. She was a daily presence and support in the life of her sister, Peggy, and in the lives of her nieces and nephews, throughout every phase of their lives. From rides to each child's activities, to fun days going to parks, beaches, and museums throughout the area, and long vacation trips as far as the Black Hills where Helen was the only driver with a carload of loud kids crammed into the backseat, she never flagged and never got lost. While adept at dealing with the kids in a large group, she also recognized each person as an individual, devoting attention to the interests and concerns of each particular child. In doing so, she let them know that they were each loved for themselves. As her nieces and nephews grew up, she devoted herself to helping them with their children, attending numerous activities and bringing joy anew to herself and her great-nieces and nephews.

With her inexhaustible energy, Helen also devoted herself to her personal interests and to friends she held dear. As a teen and young adult, she traveled across the United States and Canada with her parents and sister, Barb, and also with friends. She retained that love of travel throughout adulthood, with her final big trip being a special visit to her sister Barb on Pine Island in Florida, accompanied by her sister Peggy. Helen was a lifelong learner, attending theater productions, museum lectures, and music performances, and always enjoying dinners and walks with dear friends. Her gardens, both flower and vegetable, were beautiful and abundant, a love she retained all her life. Most vividly, Helen was never without a book and was so thankful to retain her vision until the end.

Ultimately, Helen was a model of how to be welcoming to all those lucky enough to come into her orbit, how to be accepting of life and find happiness, and how to provide unconditional support to those blessed by her love. She will be deeply missed.

Helen is survived by her sister, Barbara LaPlante; nieces and nephews; Linda Montgomery, Cathy (Mike) Berndt, Sue (Ted) Kranick, Ken (Lori) Flaten, Mary (Paul) Dolson, Julie (Gregg) Delsart, and Tom (Sheila) LaPlante. She is further survived by great-nieces and nephews, Brent (Monica) Montgomery, Nick (Andrea) Berndt, Rachel (Michael) Wilson, Nathan (Savannah) Kranick, Maria (Eric) Kranick, Alyssa (Cassie) Flaten, Spencer (Molly) Flaten, Jordan (Emily) Flaten, Abigail Flaten, Steven (Gerald Topolinski) Utic, Mackenzie Dolson, Erik Dolson, Josh (Emily) Dolson, Dustin (Nicole) Degrand, Natalie (Stephen) Hermann, Briana (Jared) Peters, and Kayla (Connor) Klein. She is also survived by many great-great-nieces and nephews; and even a great-great-great-nephew; as well as truly special friends.

Helen was preceded in death by her parents, John and Leona; sister, Peggy (Gene) Flaten; brother-in-law, Lyle LaPlante and other extended family.

Friends and family will gather at Annunciation Catholic Church, 401 Gray St., from 9:30am to 11am on Saturday, April 18; Mass of Christian Burial to follow at 11am. Interment will be at a later date in Fort Howard Memorial Park. To send online condolences, please go to www.BlaneyFuneralHome.com.

The family wishes to thank Helen's friends and neighbors for their care over recent years as her independence declined. We especially want to acknowledge the care and devotion provided by niece, Sue Kranick, over the last decade, and the care provided by niece, Mary Dolson, particularly in her last week when Mary's skills as a nurse were so needed. We also wish to express our thanks to Unity Hospice, who helped Helen achieve the peaceful transition she so desired.