Longtime Bainbridge Island resident Lola Boydston died peacefully Feb. 11 at Harrison Hospital in Bremerton, surrounded by her family. She was 83.

Born Feb. 18, 1921, to parents Alvin and Ovina Burk near Fertile, Minn., she grew up and attended school there with her younger brother Vern.

In 1941, she married Harold S. Helm, from nearby Angus, Minn. Married life soon resulted in the birth of son, Douglas, but was interrupted by the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7 of that year.

Harold joined the U.S. Army and served for the next four years as a combat infantryman in the South Pacific.

Like many other Midwesterners, she and her parents traveled west to contribute to the war effort by working in the shipyards and war factories. They settled on Bainbridge Island in 1942.

Taking only one break for the birth of her second son, Larry, she was the personification of the fabled “Rosie the Riveter,” working long hours, mostly seven-day weeks, as a welder at Hall Brothers shipyards in Winslow until the war ended and her husband safely returned home.

After the war, the family returned to farming near Barnesville, Minn., but after a few years the Bainbridge lifestyle called them back.

In 1948, after the birth of her third son, Stephen, Lola returned to her welding career, this time at the Bremerton Naval Shipyard, where she worked for 15 years until injuries sustained in an automobile accident prevented her from continuing.

Her life during the turbulent late ‘60s was unsettled and her marriage to Harold ended in divorce. In 1976, she married Keith Bies, an executive with Union Pacific Railroad. They resided in Driftwood Keys, Wash., but their marriage ended with his illness and death in 1981.

After a few years as a widow, she was reacquainted with old friend Bruce Boydston, longtime Winslow businessman and island resident who also had been widowed following a long marriage.

Their friendship eventually blossomed into a 14-year marriage. Lola and Bruce lived near Poulsbo and enjoyed their time together traveling to see their children and grandchildren, hanging out with friends at the Sons of Norway and enjoying the lutefisk feasts at First Lutheran Church.

Bruce Boydston died in March, 1997 and just a few months later, Lola suffered a major debilitating stroke. With her severe physical limitations, she resided at the Island Health and Rehabilitation Center in Winslow, but made sure she never missed Sunday services at Port Madison Lutheran Church.

She is survived by her three sons, Douglas H. Helm of San Mateo, Calif., Larry A. Helm of Bainbridge Island, and Stephen L. Helm of Bellevue and four grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Feb. 17 at Port Madison Lutheran Church.

She will be interred with her late husband, Bruce Boydston, at Kane Cemetery, Port Madison, where her parents, her first husband, Harold, and his parents are also interred. Her three sons spend much of their childhoods tending to Kane Cemetery as part of their community service responsibilities as members of the island chapter of DeMolay.

Arrangements are under the direction of Kass Funeral Home.