Mass of Christian for Allen Hellesund, age 92, of Timber Lake will be 10 AM Tuesday, August 21, 2012 at Holy Cross Catholic Church, Timber Lake. Burial will be in the Timber Lake Cemetery under the direction of Kesling Funeral Home Mobridge, SD. Visitation will be from 4 to 6 PM on Monday, at the church, with a rosary at 6 PM. Allen passed away Thursday, August 16, 2012 at Golden Living Center in Mobridge.

Allen was born to Andrew and Julia (Westley) Hellesund on November 8, 1919 on the family homestead south of Timber Lake. He started grade school at Madsen Country School at the age of five, riding his horse two miles to school everyday. He finished grade school in seven years and worked on the farm until February, 1942 when he entered the Army and was part of the allied invasion of North Africa on Nov. 8, 1942. He reached Europe in August of 1942 and remained there until V-J Day. Following his discharge he returned home and farmed for one year.

He moved into Timber Lake in 1947 and went to work for West River Oil Company.
Allen married Regina Holzer on March 31, 1948 in Timber Lake, and they were married for 60 years. Allen continued to work at the service station and in 1950 he bought partnership in the station. He became sole owner of the Texaco Service Station in 1970. In June of 1976 he sold the station and went into semi-retirement. Allen began working as a caretaker for the Little Moreau State Recreation area and became the Dewey County Veteran's Service Officer until retiring at the age of 89.

Allen may have been best known as the Official Weather Observer for the Timber Lake area for over 50 years. He received the prestigious Holm Award, the Thomas Jefferson Award and the Edward H. Stoll award from the National Weather Service for his work as a weather observer. September 10, 2003 was declared Allen Hellesund Day in South Dakota by Governor Mike Rounds in recognition of his service to the National Weather Service and receipt of the Thomas Jefferson Award.

Allen also served in numerous organizations including City Council, Better Timber Lake Association, past commander of the Gene Gelino American Legion Post # 83, secretary/treasurer of Timber Lake Development Corporation, chief of Timber Lake Fire Department, director on Timber Lake Ambulance Service board, volunteer with the Timber Lake and Area Historical Society and board member of Timber Lake Cemetery Association for more than 30 years. He coached the Timber Lake girls softball team for several years, building a team from scratch to tournament champions. Allen pitched for the Timber Lake amateur baseball team in the late 1940's that advanced to the state amateur tournament.

Allen is survived by his daughter Donna Hurley and grandson Eric Hurley of Aberdeen, SD., He is also survived by nieces, Kathleen, Carolyn, Muriel, Alice and Carolyn.