Denise Ann Sheets

Denise was born November 29, 1946 to Leo and Anastasia (Gralinski) Helten in Marshalltown, Iowa. She grew up in Garwin, Iowa with her three younger brothers, Jim, Mike, and Tom. She graduated from Garwin High School in 1964. She then went on to graduate from the University of Northern Iowa with a degree in Library Science.

On November 7, 1970, Denise married Jim Sheets. They made their home in Des Moines, Iowa and welcomed three children, William, Christina, and Diana.

After college, Denise worked as a librarian for Osceola High School then worked for the Hearst Cooperation before retiring in 1991. During retirement she spent a lot of time volunteering at the State Historical Library for which she received an Individual Service Award from then Governor, Chet Culver.

Denise’s favorite hobby was reading, she read everything from romance novels to science fiction to the Bible. She also enjoyed creative writing and intertwining her love of Star Trek into her short stories some of which were published in fan-faction magazines. This story-telling skill spilled over into her parenting where she would weave colorful and elaborate bedtime tales for her children every night.

Her guilty pleasure was watching old game shows on the Game Show Network or wherever she could find them. She also loved board games and trivia. Boasting an IQ of 150, she enjoyed showing off during heated, but friendly games of her favorite board game, Trivial Pursuit, or while watching one of her favorite game shows, Jeopardy.

She was a devout Catholic and was a member of Christ the King parish for over 50 years.

Above anything else, she adored being a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother.

Denise is survived by her husband of 54 years, Jim; her son, William Sheets; daughters, Christina Fahle and Diana (Andy) Lumadue; her grandchildren, Brittney, Alan (Charlotte), Ana, John, Melissa, Senovia, Gary, and Makenzie; her great-grandchildren, Melody, Alayna, Nalina, Leo, Kamaria, Eleanor, and Amirah; and her brothers Jim (Kathy) Helten, Mike Helten, and Tom (John Sellers) Helten. She was preceded in death by her parents.

A funeral mass will take place on Wednesday, February 5th at 11:00 at Christ the King Catholic Church, 5711 SW 9th Street, Des Moines, IA 50315 followed by a small reception in the parish hall.