Helen Sanderson, a late-blooming watercolor artist whose works sold widely in Florida and North Carolina, died on May 21 in Winter Haven, Florida, after a long illness. She was a native of Illinois, where her husband owned a farm equipment and appliance store in Rochelle.

Mrs. Sanderson was the sixth of seven children born to Floyd and Marion Countryman in Lindenwood. She married Spencer Sanderson, who died in 1990 after a 54 year marriage. They resided in Rochelle from 1942 to 1960 and were members of the Rochelle Country Club and the Methodist Church. The Sandersons moved to Winter Haven in 1960 and joined the Lake Region Country and Yacht Club, where Mrs. Sanderson was an accomplished golfer with two holes-in-one to her credit. After a back injury ended her golfing, she took up painting. She won many awards for her nature scene water colors, which she sold locally and in North Carolina, where she spent her summers.

She is survived by two sons, Philip of Lincoln, California and Roger of Tampa; daughter-in-law Darleen Sanderson of Lincoln, sister-in-law Peggy Sanderson of Denver, Colorado, and many nieces and nephews. She will be interred in Rochelle next to her husband. No services are planned in Rochelle. Donations can be made to the Methodist Church of Rochelle.