Helen Irene Kallal Egleston

Friday, Feb. 10, 2017

Jan. 29, 1925 – Jan. 15, 2017

Helen Irene Kallal Egleston, beloved mother, sister, aunt and friend, passed away peacefully of natural causes in St. Mark’s Hospital on Jan. 15, 2017, in the presence of her children. She is free of the painful and discouraging ailments she experienced in old age, which she faced with courage and fortitude.

Helen was born on Jan. 29, 1925, in Jerseyville, Ill., the first of eight children of William Joseph Kallal and Amelia Frances Cabalek. In 1926, her family moved to Alberta, where her family farmed first in Tofield and later Westlock in central Alberta. She married Marvin Plimpton Egleston in 1955, in San Francisco, Calif. He preceded her in death in 1993.

She spent most of her married life as a homemaker, raising her children and making a beautiful home in Holladay. She was a superb cook and seamstress, and loved to gather family and friends for a good meal, a lovely evening or for a game of bridge. She had a natural refinement and a fastidious nature, reflected in her ability to dress well and always appear looking her best.  Like most children raised during the Depression, she approached life with hard work, frugality and common sense, and she treated everyone she met with kindness and genuine interest. Although distance separated her from her extended family, she cherished her upbringing on the Canadian prairies and her Czech heritage, and she was never happier than when in the company of a large gathering of her siblings.  

A devout Catholic, she was a member of St. Vincent de Paul Parish for over 60 years, volunteered for St. Martha’s Baby Project and was an active member of the Catholic Women’s League, where she made some of her strongest friendships. She was an avid stock market student and was endlessly fascinated by the business world.  

She is survived by her daughter Elizabeth Giraud (Richard) and son Paul, both of Salt Lake City, as well as sister Evelyn Dallaire (Marcel) of Bonnyville, Alberta; brothers Edwin Kallal (Helen), Gerald Kallal of Westlock, Alberta, and Tom Kallal (Emiliene) of Whitecourt, Alberta; and sister-in-law Theresa Kallal of Westlock, Alberta. Helen was preceded in death by sisters Mary Brault and Rita Kallal, brother William Kallal, and sister-in-law Lorraine Huot Kallal.

A funeral service was held at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church on Jan. 19. Interment followed at Mt. Olivet Cemetery.