Helen “Babe” Andres, 90, Pierz

August 16, 1932 - April 18, 2023

Helen “Babe” Andres, age 90, of Pierz, MN passed peacefully on Tuesday, April 18, 2023.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Monday, April 24 at 10:30 A.M. at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Pierz, MN.

Visitation will be held from 2:00-5:00 P.M. on Sunday, April 23 and Monday, April 24 from 8:30-10:00 A.M. all at Emblom Brenny Funeral Service in Pierz. A Rosary will be said at 2:30 P.M. on Sunday at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers memorials are preferred to Holy Trinity Catholic School in Pierz.

Helen Pauline Andres was born on August 16, 1932 in Randall, MN to Joseph and Helen (Simones) Schmidt on August 16, 1932. She attended St. Francis High School in Little Falls and graduated with the Class of 1950. After high school she worked in the Twin Cities for Dayton’s. On May 4, 1954, Helen was united in marriage to James Andres at St. James Catholic Church in Randall. In 1958, they purchased a dairy farm in the Buckman area where they raised their eight children. The couple retired and moved to Pierz in January of 1987. Helen worked for Wolff Drug in Pierz as a cashier for several years. She enjoyed watching and attending her grandchildren’s events and was known as “Chief White Hair.” Helen made the best “Three Butt Buns” loaves of bread and cinnamon rolls. The couple enjoyed traveling, especially driving trips to Las Vegas, trips to the casino and fishing trips to the Lake of the Woods. Helen loved to walk and volunteered at the Pierz Villa and St. Gabriel’s Hospital. Helen and Jim attended St. Michael’s Church in Buckman and later on St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Pierz. She was a past member of the Christian Mother’s. She will forever be remembered as a loving wife, mother, grandmother and friend!

Left to cherish her memory are her children, Terri Loscheider (Mike) of Waconia, Debbie Wensel Austin (Jim) of Rice, Bill Andres (Sherry) of Buckman, Patty Nelson of Little Falls, Jim Andres (Carol) of Pierz, Denise Gangl (Paul) of Lakeville, David Andres (Becky) of Becker, and Sandy Gross (Scott) of North Mankato; siblings Margaret Jorgensen of Hopkins, Mary Donnelly of Lakeville, and Bernadine Schmidt of Richfield; 30 grandchildren and 54 great-grandchildren .

Helen was preceded in death by her husband, James; parents, Joseph and Helen; an infant daughter; siblings, William and Eugene Schmidt and Josephine Wippler and a son-in-law, Gordy Austin.