Helen Verde Yearick was born at home on 3501 N. Hoyne Avenue in Chicago Illinois with the assistance of Mrs. M. Juhnke midwife, on June 16, 1911. Her parents were Harry Earl Yearick and Julia McIntyre. Except for one year in Cortland New York in 1916, she was raised in Chicago Illinois. Helen was only five years old when she lived and went to school in New York. She remembers at that time, she saved the lead foil from her Fathers cigarette wrappers for the war effort. A six-inch ball was almost more then she could lift. When living in Chicago, her parents took her and her sister on many outings over the weekends. Many of their friends and relatives joined them. They would travel to many different points of interest around Chicago. In 1929 when the depression came, her Father was laid off from Armour Co. and he and her mother Julia moved to Cedar Rapids Iowa to establish their own business, the Cold Stream Poultry Farm. Helen had one more year of high school to complete so stayed in Chicago and lived with their neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Kupner. She worked as a dental assistant during that year to earn money for her living expenses, and graduated from high school in January. She married a neighborhood friend George Irving Ottersen on January 11, 1930 in Chicago at a Catholic Church Parish. Helen and Irving had two children, Nancy Lee and Barbara Lou Ottersen. In April 1938 Helen separated from her husband and with her two daughters, moved to Cedar Rapids Iowa where they lived with her parents. Helen's divorce was granted in September 1939. She then married Karl Reginald Clendening Jr. on September 23, 1939. They had two sons, Karl Reginald III and Gary Allen Clendening. Helen and her family followed the example of her parents and on weekends would go on picnics and to the parks to go fishing and swimming. They also went to the woods to walk and looked for wild flowers and mushrooms, or gathered nuts. She and seven other young Mothers formed a bridge Club that has continued to meet more than 40 years later with some of the original members still playing. They started out talking about their children and progressed to Grandchildren and then Great Grandchildren. They also formed a Pinochle supper club that has met for many years. They attended many home parties with other young couples. No one could afford to spend money to go out. Holloween was always a time to make a costume and get together with their friends and have a fun time. Many stories were told about those parties and it seems like a good time was had by everyone attending. The family lived in Cedar Rapids. In 1947 they managed the Cold Stream Poultry Farm and in 1955 purchased the business. When the highway commission bought the house and half of the business property to build a bridge over the new interstate highway, they purchased a home at 3307 Wenig Road and semi retired. In 1984 they sold the business to their Granddaughter Holly and her husband Donald Howard. Helen enjoyed sewing and made many of her family's clothes. She also Crocheted and Knitted. She worked at many different needlecrafts and her hands were always busy working on some project that she would frequently give to relatives and friends. When they managed and owned the Poultry Farm they were unable to go on vacations, but after retiring they enjoyed their free time by touring all over the United States, frequently taking their travel trailer with them. They went on fishing trips and would visit family and friends on their travels. They took up square dancing and oil painting and produced many beautiful pictures.
Written by Nancy Baker