Helen Linnea Sundstrom Milne

Helen Linnea Sundstrom Milne passed away on November 6, 2023 in Smithfield, VA. She was born in Greenwich, CT to Walter and Annie Beck Sundstrom, immigrants from Gamlakarleby, Finland. She grew up on the Iron Range in northern MN and attended the Duluth campus of the University of Minnesota from 1947-1950. She majored in English and also studied Spanish, dreaming of one day visiting South America. She married Robert Milne and the couple settled in Minneapolis, MN. She loved her morning coffee and completing Sudoku puzzles while watching the news. She was a master at wordplay and puns, eliciting many a groan from her family and friends.

Helen graduated from Metropolitan State University in 1976 with a Bachelor of Arts. She was a media specialist at North Hennepin Community College, a real estate agent and trainer in Florida and Texas, and office manager for a chiropractic firm in Virginia. She retired in 2007 and moved to Smithfield, VA where she was active in Silver Sneakers, Friends of the Library, and Master Gardeners.  Helen also enjoyed daily walks in Windsor Castle Park.

She was preceded in death by her brother Walter Sundstrom, Jr., her infant daughter Sharon Milne, her son Robert Milne, Jr., and her ex-husband Robert Milne, Sr. Left to cherish her memory are her children Steven Milne (Maria), Sandra Milne Stearns (Mark), Bruce Milne, and Brian Milne (Mary Ellen), grandchildren Paul Milne (Lyntoria), Steen Milne (Amber), Laura Milne Posey (Greg), and Jamie Stearns (Mariah), along with six great-grandchildren and two great-great-grands.

In her later years Helen attended Swedish cultural events and took her children to visit her relatives in Finland and Sweden. She visited Ecuador in her mid-eighties, achieving her dream of traveling to South America. 

Little’s Funeral Home in Smithfield, VA is assisting the family. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday, February 19 at Second Presbyterian Church, 7305 Hampton Blvd., Norfolk, VA 23505.
Online condolences may be registered at www.littlesfuneralhome.com.