Helen Kuni, age 84, of 1601 Ohio Ave SW, Huron, died Saturday, April 24, 2004, at her home. Her funeral mass will be at 10:00 AM Thursday, April 29, at the Church of the Resurrection with Father Jim Zimmer officiating. Burial will be at St. Martin Cemetery. Friends may call Wednesday afternoon and evening at the Welter Funeral Home or Thursday morning prior to the mass at the church. There will be a Scripture Service at 8:00 PM Wednesday evening at the Welter Funeral Home with the family present from 7:00-8:30 PM. Memorials may be directed to St. Martin School or the Center for Independent Living. Helen Kuni was born Helen Joan Murphy on May 9, 1919, to Howard and Helen (Crane) Murphy at Chicago, IL. Helen grew up in the suburbs of Wilmette and Glencoe, IL. In the middle of the depression, the family moved into the city where Helen graduated from Immaculata High School and attended Mundelein College. Helen met Robert S. Kuni, who was a college friend of her brother, Dan. They were married on June 28, 1941. Helen and Bob moved to South Bend, IN, where they lived for the first few years, and then Bob went into the U. S. Army and Helen returned to Chicago. After the war, Bob brought Helen back to South Dakota in 1946, where they started their involvement in the Huron community. Helen started one of the first Brownie Troops in Huron, served on the St. Johns Hospital Auxiliary Board, served as president of St. Martins Altar Society, and was very active in the Legion of Mary. In 1951, Helen and Bob bought a farm south of Huron. She took on this endeavor with the zest that she did everything, as neither Bob nor Helen had ever spent a night on a farm. Helen was instrumental in getting a special education classroom started in Huron. She helped start the local Chapter of the Association for Retarded Citizens. Helen and Bob worked continuously to bring new programs and facilities to bring about a better quality of life to those who were developmentally disabled. This included helping start the Huron Area Adjustment Training Center, now the Center for Independent Living, where Helen still served on the board. She loved her bridge games and looked forward to Wednesday afternoons and her great group of friends. Helen was a member of PEO Chapter CH, Association for Retarded Citizens, Red Hat Society, Holy Trinity Catholic Parish, and a lifetime member of the Huron Country Club. Grateful for having shared her with those she touched are her children, Mary Helen Kuni of Huron, and Kathleen (Charles) Woodard of Sioux Falls and her special granddaughter, Caitlin Woodard of Sioux Falls; a brother, Daniel (Katherine) Murphy of Lake Forest, IL; a brother-in-law, James McAuliff of Scottsdale, AZ; a host of very special nieces, nephews, and wonderful friends; and special friends, Bob and Betty Osborn of Huron. Helen was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Robert; a son, Michael; a sister, Mary Elizabeth Babe; and a brother, William.