Little, Helen Ann (Tefr)

Helen Ann (Tefr) Little, 85, formerly of Cedar Rapids and Ely, died Monday, May 30, 2011, in Albuquerque, N.M. Visitation will be at from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, June 3, at Cedar Memorial Park Funeral Home, Cedar Rapids. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 4, at St. Ludmila Catholic Church with the Rev. Thomas McDermott officiating. Burial will follow at Cedar Memorial Park Cemetery.

She is survived by her only child, daughter, Sally A. Little of Albuquerque, N.M.; sister, Anna Mae (Robert) Anderson of Novato, Calif.; brothers, Ron Landergott of Cedar Rapids, and Charles (Sandra) Landergott of Gainesville, Ga.; sister-in-law, Mary V. Taylor of Plano, Texas; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

She was preceded in death by her father, Godfrey Tefr (1970); stepfather, Charles Landergott (1972); mother, Irma (Stusak) Landergott (1994); and husband, Merle in 1995.

She was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Sept. 16, 1925. She attended Hayes Elementary School and graduated from Wilson High School in January 1944. She married Merle J. “Moe” Little on Oct. 25, 1945. She worked for Cherry-Burrell, the telephone company and Collins Radio in Cedar Rapids. In 1954, she moved to Wichita, Kan., where she worked as a doctor's assistant at the Wichita Clinic (1954-1958) and later as a flight test data processor for Boeing Aircraft Co. (1956-1968). She moved to Nashville, Tenn., in 1968, and attended nursing school, earning an LPN from Vanderbilt in 1970, an ADN and BSN from the University of Tennessee Nashville in 1974 and 1980, respectively. She earned her Board Certification in Medical-Surgical Nursing in January 1986. She worked for Vanderbilt Hospital (1970-1978) and the VA Hospitals in Nashville (1979-1986) and Murfreesboro, Tenn. (1986-1990). In 1990, she moved to Plant City, Fla., and worked for the VA Hospital in Tampa, from which she retired in October 1993. She worked part time for two nursing homes in Plant City until 1996. he moved back to Iowa (Ely) in 2001. She had been a resident of Albuquerque, N.M., since September 2006. She was a very caring and compassionate nurse, loving wife and mother, and a good friend.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer's Foundation of America, 322 Eighth Ave., seventh floor, New York, NY 10001; or a charity of your choice.

Her daughter would like to send a special thank you to Dr. Craig Jensen, who provided exceptional professional and loving care for Helen during her last days at Presbyterian Hospital, the staff at Presbyterian Hospital, Dr. Elizabeth Morgan, who cared for Helen at the Woodmark Assisted Living and all the staff and caregivers at the Woodmark where Helen was a resident since March 2007.

Please leave a message, tribute or memory to Helen's family on the webpage, under obituaries.