Helen Haskell Remien

Helen Haskell Remien 1956 – 2022 ISHPEMING, Mich. – Helen Haskell Remien made her transition on Sunday, Aug. 21, 2022 surrounded by friends and family. “Helen of Joy,” the proprietor of the Joy Center in Ishpeming, Mich. was so many things: a poet, storyteller, world traveler, athlete, teacher, yogi, artist, fashionista, lover of the ocean and the outdoors, wife, parent, grandmother, friend. Those of us lucky enough to have known Helen hold in our hearts her buoyant spirit, effervescent personality, and love for life. All of us, friends, family, and acquaintances alike, have been changed for the better, shaped by Helen’s generosity and overwhelming joy. Helen was born in Bath on Jan. 15, 1956 to Ernest Haskell, Jr. and Annie Perry Haskell. Her parents were artists and instilled in Helen a lifelong passion for creative pursuits. Helen met her husband, Cam, the love of her life, at the University of Maine. They were married in Bath on Aug. 6, 1977 and the two set out together on a life of adventure, first moving to Ann Arbor, Mich., where Cam attended dental school, and then to Ishpeming, Mich., in the Upper Peninsula, where they put down their roots. Their first son, Peter, was born in Ann Arbor, Mich. in 1980, while Helen and Cam were living in married housing at the University of Michigan, and their second son, Christopher, was born at Bell Memorial Hospital in Ishpeming, Mich. in 1982. Helen devoted herself to her family with creativity and joy and always nurtured her children’s passions. She welcomed Peter’s wife, Shelly Ruspakka, into her family in 2004 and Christopher’s wife, Diana Mitchell, in 2014. Helen and Cam celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary in August. While Helen’s life was filled with blessings, her greatest joys were her four grandchildren, Viren, Addie, Aila, and Wesley Ernest. Helen traveled to Idaho frequently to take them each on special adventures, savoring their individual and unique personalities. She would come back from each adventure with photos and stories and compile them in beautifully hand-crafted books for each grandchild. Those books are treasured memories of time spent together with a grandmother who loved them more than anything in the world. A celebration of Helen’s life will be held from 1-3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 10 at the Joy Center, 1492 Southwood Dr., Ishpeming, Mich. To view Helen’s complete obituary please visit bjorkandzhulkie.com where relatives and friends may leave a note of remembrance. Helen’s family requests that love offerings be sent in her name to Trillium House.