Beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend died peacefully at her home in Wilsonville, OR. A native Oregonian with an effervescent personality, she was born in Portland and was married for 59 years to Robert Sr., ""Bob,"" the love of her life and a World War II veteran, who died in January 2000. After attending Girl's Polytechnic High School, she worked at her uncle's candy store, Preisler's, on S.W. Broadway in downtown Portland. In late1938 Bob McCurtain, spotted her working in the store window and was immediately attracted to the pretty young woman who he thought was "quite tall." In fact, the diminutive 23-year-old was standing on a raised platform that concealed her 5 foot 2 inch frame. Nonetheless, he bought bags of peanut clusters for weeks until he mustered the courage to ask her out on a date. The couple was married on November 1, 1940 and remained devoted until his death. With instincts for color, form, balance and tone, Helen helped many of her friends redesign the interiors of their homes. She worked in the rental sales gallery of the Portland Art Museum, for Muriel Walsh Estate Sales, and served with the University of Oregon Mother's Club. Helen loved to travel. With Bob, and in the years after his death, she frequented various locations in Oregon, Washington, California, Hawaii and Massachusetts, and also made several visits to New York City. Her most recent trip was a cruise to Norway that took her back to her family roots. Her father, Ingeberg Hansen, grew up as a young man in Bergen before immigrating to the United States. He eventually settled in Astoria where he fished commercially when Helen was still a child. Helen and Bob also enjoyed their mountain cabin at Welches on the slopes of Mt. Hood where, with their sons, they frequently entertained their friends with barbeques, hikes in the woods, or some local trout fishing in the nearby Salmon River. She is survived by her son, Robert Jr., (Barbara), of New York City; and her son, Mark, (Kathy), and grandchildren, Heather and Shawn, of Tualatin.