HELEN L. DENT, 90

Former Arlington resident Helen L. Dent, 90 of Elkhorn, died Friday, Aug. 29, 2008 at the Life Care Center in Elkhorn.

Funeral services were Tuesday, Sept. 2, at the Reichmuth Funeral Home in Elkhorn. Interment was at the Prairie View Cemetery in rural Washington County.

Helen Lucille Clinton was born March 14, 1918, in Manilla, Iowa, to Patrick F. and Lucy (Peterson) Clinton. She grew up on the family farm near Buck Grove, Iowa, where she helped her parents with the farm work. She attended school in Manilla, and graduated from Manilla High School in 1936.

She married L. Don Dent on November 4, 1937. The family made their home on a farm near Buck Grove. Mrs. Dent moved to Manning, Iowa, in 1957, and then to Omaha in 1959. After her retirement in 1980, she lived on an acreage in Elk City. In 1988, she moved to Arlington, before moving to the Life Care Center of Elkhorn in 2001.

Mrs. Dent was a hard worker throughout her life. In addition to her jobs on the farm, she worked at the Egg Grading Plant in Manning, Iowa; Northside Produce in Omaha; the Blackstone Hotel; and as a day maid at the Kiewit Plaza in Omaha, from which she retired in 1980.

She enjoyed tending to her flower and vegetable gardens, and loved irises so much that she had a separate garden just for them. She liked to go to garage sales, work with old jewelry, and later became interested in watercolor painting. Her biggest joy was for her dogs, Blackie, and especially her German Shepherd, King. Her family notes that she had King so spoiled that she would go to town almost daily to get him his dog food. Her greatest accomplishment was raising her three children.

She is survived by her sons and daughters-in-law, Delbert and Colleen Dent of Casa Grande, Ariz.; and Allan and Dixie Dent of Washington; daughter, Deanna Leaden of Omaha; seven grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren; three great-great-grandchildren; and nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by a sister, Kathryn Brosnahan; two brothers and one sister who died in childhood; and her son-in-law, Edward J. Leaden.