Senior Spotlight - Dave Helterline of Plains

On August 28, 1930, David Lee Helterline was born the middle child of 10 children in his family. Dave's father was born in Pennsylvania in 1898, and moved to Montana to be a farmer. He and Dave's uncles ran the farm that was diversified, Dave said. "We had cows, wheat, oats, hay and barley." Dave did not want to be a farmer. He had other plans.

Sometime after high school graduation in 1948, "I enlisted in the Air Force for four years during the Korean War," Dave recalls. He was an aircraft engine mechanic. "I stayed stateside during the war but I went on temporary duty to Portugal, Spain to test the B36 aircraft for air defense. That was in 1953 while I was stationed at Ellsworth Air Force Base in Rapid City, South Dakota." Dave enjoyed sightseeing while there. Mount Rushmore and Deadwood were near his base. "Deadwood, South Dakota, was a rip-roaring town," Dave recalled with a grin. "Wild Bill Hickok was killed there." The historical event happened during a poker game with Hickok holding aces and eights. This became known as Dead Man's Hand. Besides South Dakota, Dave was stationed in Texas and Maine.

After his enlistment, Dave returned home to Plains and worked for Diehl Lumber. "One winter the temperature dropped to negative 41 degrees. We had to keep the hydraulic trim saws going nonstop so we had shavings to put in the boiler to keep it running." When Diehl Lumber closed down, Dave went to work for Thompson Lumber Mill in December of 1955. "I worked there until I retired in 1994."

Dave talked about meeting his wife Shirley, who came from North Dakota to visit her sister in Plains. Shirley talked of their first date. "We went dancing at a place in Paradise back when live music and dancing was common." They liked playing pinochle. "Dave was the fourth person for the game with my sister and her husband," Shirley recalls. The couple were soon married and built their home in Plains. "My father came and helped build our home," Shirley said. They had been living in the apartment above the First National Bank. Shirley said she applied for a job there. The Helterlines raised two sons, Brian and David Michael, and have two grandsons.

In 2008 Dave received an award from the Sanders County Council on Aging in Hot Springs. The award stated that Dave went above and beyond in transporting individuals with special needs. A story was published in the Sanders County Ledger July 2, 2009. In 2015 at the age of 85, Dave decided that it was time to stop driving.

The Helterlines made a bucket list of places they wanted to go and filled it. "We went to Hawaii in January of 1983. It was beautiful," Dave said. "Fishing in Alaska was a great time. We were out in the ocean off an island somewhere near Sitka. We caught fish and had it shipped home frozen. Ours was still frozen when we got home. Other people from Montana didn't have theirs frozen and it began to stink at the Missoula airport," Dave said. They went to the Calgary Stampede and Calgary Expo, Shirley said. Dave said his favorite vacation was going to Calgary. "We took a tram above the events and could see exhibitions from other countries. From that view we could decide where we wanted to go." They saw the Olympic stadium, constructed for the 1988 Winter Olympics, Dave recalled. "It was summertime but people were practicing their jumping on the grass as if they were on snow."

Dave spent many years gardening. He won several blue ribbons at the Sanders County Fair for his vegetables. One year he won first place for his pumpkin. "I had to roll it in on a beach towel. It weighed over 100 pounds," Dave recalled. Shirley said Dave was born with two green thumbs. This will be his third year without a garden.

Besides gardening, Dave has enjoyed cross country skiing and playing tennis. Nowadays he enjoys his coffee and a roll of the dice at the Sinclair station every morning with the local coffee club. "We all put in a dollar and whoever gets the most sixes wins the pot," Dave said.

Along with his coffee, Dave enjoys food, especially his wife's cooking. "She's the best cook. All I can do is make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or fry an egg." He loves Shirley's German dishes. She has a whole cookbook full of them.

Unfortunately, Dave has had to have nine operations in his lifetime including three heart procedures. His doctor said that he needed to go on a diet. After eating healthy and losing weight, Dave's doctor said Shirley is a great heart disease cook.

Shirley has been cooking healthy meals for Dave, but has family favorites from Germany that she still likes to cook. One favorite is Knepfla. She said her recipe card is stained and hard to read. But it is easy to remember. "The one out of the cookbook is different from what I make. I make the dough balls and boil them then add them to fried potatoes and ham. Add a vegetable and you've got a complete meal."