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Helen Marie Hern
HELEN MARIE HERN
Cedar Rapids
Helen Marie Hern, 96, of Cedar Rapids and formerly of Burlington, died Monday, March 11, 2019, at Meadowview Memory Care Village in Cedar Rapids.
The memorial service for Mrs. Hern will be at 1 p.m. Monday, March 25, at Parkside First Baptist Church, 300 Potter Dr., Burlington, Iowa, with visitation one hour prior to the service. The service will be officiated by the Rev. Simon McBride from Parkside. Burial will be at Burlington Memorial Park Cemetery.
Memorial donations may be made to Parkside First Baptist Church.
Family was everything to Helen. She is survived by her daughter, Judy Ray; sons, Larry (Marti) Hern and Greg (Sandy) Hern; seven grandchildren, Shawn (Alison) Ray, Heather (Guy) Simons, Laura (Austin) Pollard, Eric (Amy) Hern, Melissa (Matt) Gilbreath, Brett (Jennifer) Hern and Chris (Erin) Hern; 17 great-grandchildren; five nieces and three nephews. Her memory will be cherished by all who knew and loved her.
Helen was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Dee; brothers, Ray and Sam Powell; and sister, Lois Platt.
Helen was born Oct. 11, 1922, in Burlington, Iowa, to Samuel and Bertha Powell. The family moved for a time to Carthage Lake, Ill., where she graduated from Monmouth High School. After business college in Chicago, she worked at Bonewitz Chemical Co. in Burlington, and met Leonard "Dee" Hern. They were married on Aug. 3, 1946, in Burlington, and were married almost 60 years when he died in 2006.
After their children were all in school, Helen worked as an associate and principal's secretary at North Hill and Perkins schools. Helen was a lifetime member of Parkside, where she served in many areas. She also was a member of Chapter DK of PEO, and participated in many Lions Club and Camera Club activities with her husband. Together, they enjoyed camping and card club with church friends and volunteering at Burlington Hospital.
After Dee's death in 2006, she moved to Cedar Rapids to live with her daughter, Judy. There, she helped take care of four of her great-grandchildren. This was a very special time for both "Grandma Helen" and the children. She also served in the nursery at Antioch Christian Church until she was 91.
The family would like to say a special thank-you to the wonderful staff at Meadowview Memory Care Village for their loving care of Helen over the last two years.
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