Chittick, Helen 'Jean'

Helen “Jean” Chittick, 87, died Saturday, April 7, 2012, at the Solon Nursing Care Center in Solon. A visitation will be held at the Powell Funeral Home in North English from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, April 12. Family Graveside services will be held at the South English Cemetery at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be to a memorial in Jean's name or to Hospice of Mercy (Cedar Rapids).

Messages and tributes may be left at under obituaries.

Jean Chittick was born on Sept. 23, 1924, in South English, Iowa, to Elmer and Velda Niess Evans. She graduated from South English High School and married Lester Chittick on June 28, 1943, in Missouri. Jean had many vocations during her lifetime such as truck driving and clerking at a grocery store while living her first 40 plus years of her life in South English. Later in Sigourney, she was a bank teller and Keokuk County treasury clerk, until her retirement. Jean loved to camp, fish and travel with her husband of 57 years. In the last few years, she enjoyed life with a very special and caring friend, Sy O'Rielly. She will be mostly remembered as a loving and caring mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend. She became a resident of the Solon Nursing Care Center in September 2008.

Jean is survived by her son, Tom (Mary) Chittick of Atkins; daughter, Ann (Charlie) Malina of Morristown, Tenn.; four grandchildren, Jeff (Holly) Chittick, Jay (Dawn) Chittick, Brian (Amy) Ingram and Shelley Dunn; and great-grandchildren, Greg, Jenna, Taylor and Dane Chittick, Jordan, Alexa and Cecilia Ingram, McKenna Crumbaugh and Quinn Dunn.

Jean was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Lester in October 2000; and a dear companion, Sy O'Reilly.

The family would like to acknowledge the loving staff at the Solon Nursing Care Center who treated Jean like family and Cedar Rapids Hospice of Mercy.

Published in The Gazette April 10, 2012.