Wardena “Dena” Norita Helm, 27, died Saturday, February 11, 2023 at Sanford Health, Fargo, ND.

Dena was born on May 31, 1995 to Melissa TwoHearts and Winfield Chaske Jr. in Bismarck, ND.  She spent her toddler years in Bismarck, ND and around the age of six in the Bismarck/Mandan, ND area.  Dena was adopted on November 17, 2006 on National Adoption Day by Susan Ann Helm in Bismarck, ND.  She attended school at Robert Miller Elementary, Simle Middle School and graduated from Century High School in Bismarck.  She participated in a special graduation celebration for Native American students through the United Tribes Tech. College in Bismarck and was presented with a star quilt by her grandmother, Angeline Berger, so she could always find her way home.

She worked in the service industry at Kmart, Sickies Garage and Cracker Barrel.  She moved to Colorado Springs in 2018 and continued to work in the service industry.  It is in Colorado that Dena met and entered a serious and deeply loving relationship with Nolan Case.  Nolan remained by Dena’s side through her passing.  Lovingly caring for her as God took her home.

Dena was a very kind and loving person.  She had a wonderful sense of humor.  She and her siblings prided themselves on quoting movie parts to each other, seeing if they could guess the movie.  Dena loved family time, being all together having a family meal.  She loved to read, especially fantasy.  She was very creative and attended many art classes working on drawing, acrylic painting and working with clay.  She was an amazing basketball player and was always considered one of the best players.  She was an amazing writer and wrote beautiful poetry.  Her writing made you feel as if you were having the experience she was writing about.  She was a great lover of animals.  She was always finding stray animals to rescue and bringing them home.

Dena was strong in her faith.  She received her sacraments of Baptism, First Holy Communion and Confirmation into the Catholic Faith at Spirit of Life Parish in Mandan, ND.  She will be forever loved and greatly missed by her family, daughter Emery and son Hendrix, her special young man Nolan Case and all who knew her. 

Dena will be greatly missed by her mother, Susan Ann Helm; her siblings, Chelsea (Mark) Peterson, Bismarck, ND, Megan (Cody) Schneider (her God Mother), Bismarck, ND, Quentin Helm, Colorado; biological mother, Melissa TwoHearts; siblings, Michaela TwoHearts, Darius Chaske, Waynita TwoHearts, and Courtney TwoHearts; nephews, Theodore & John Peterson and one other; nieces, Ridlee Schneider and others; grandmother, Angeline Berger; uncles, Lenus (Alice) Berger, William Berger, Terry Berger and Adam (Tammy) Berger (her God Father) and numerous cousins.

She was preceded in death by her father, Winfield Chaske Jr.; grandfathers, Adam Berger and Winfield Chaske Sr.; grandmothers, Evelyn Chaske and Julia Rita TwoHearts; aunt, Ella Kitzman; uncles, Duane Kitzman and Wayne Berger; cousins, Marguerite and Bobbie Jo Berger.

Wardena’s Visitation will be Friday at 5:00PM followed by a Prayer Service at 7:00PM all at Seven Dolors Catholic Church, Fort Totten, ND.

 Friends wishing to join the procession from New Rockford to Fort Totten may gather on the St. Jerome’s road, Fort Totten, prior to 4:15PM.

A Funeral Service will be held Saturday, February 18, 2023 at 10:00AM at Seven Dolors Catholic Church, Fort Totten, ND.

Her Burial will be at the St. Jerome’s Catholic Cemetery, Fort Totten, ND.