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Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Obituaries
The Gazette publishes obituaries on a daily basis. Use the search field above to search for obituaries by name or keyword. Readers can submit an obituary or submit a milestone to The Gazette. The obituary must be submitted before 1 p.m. for publication on thegazette.com at 6 p.m. and in the daily edition the next day, with the exception of obituaries for Sunday publication, which must be submitted by 1 p.m. on Fridays.
Reed, Helen Pearl
Helen Pearl Reed, 95, of Cedar Rapids, died Saturday, Nov. 28, 2009, at Heritage Nursing & Rehab Center, Cedar Rapids. Services: 10 a.m. Wednesday at St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church, Cedar Rapids, by Father Christopher Podhajsky and the Rev. Monsignor Karl Glovik. The family will greet friends from 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Murdoch-Linwood Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Cedar Rapids. Burial: St. John's Cemetery, Cedar Rapids.
Survivors include her children, Gregory (Mary Kay) Reed of Cedar Rapids, Donna Reed of Marion, Philip (Tammy) Reed of Cedar Rapids and Therese (Chris) Carstensen of Walnut, Calif.; eight grandchildren, Scott (Stacy), Stephen (Natalie), Stacey (Scott) Asby, Blake (Jodee), Alison, Corey, Chase and Amanda; four great-grandchildren, Aidan, Addysen, Alayna and Annie; brother, Bud Charipar of Texas; sister-in-law, Mary (Frank) Roberts of Iowa City; and many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Richard; three brothers, Leo, Charles and Henry; and three sisters, Alice, Ann and Fran.
Helen was born June 13, 1914, the daughter of Matthew and Anna (Langer) Charipar, in Makoti, N.D. On July 2, 1944, she was united in marriage to Richard Reed. He died May 11, 1996. Helen worked in the Cedar Rapids area for 30 years and volunteered at Mercy Medical Center for 24 years.
She was a 50-year member of St. Ludmila's Catholic Church and God's Housekeepers for 40 years. Helen presently was a member of St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church. She belonged to St. Regina's Circle, Altar & Rosary Society for 25 years, and the Legion of Mary for 30+ years. For 16 years, Helen started and maintained the prayer line and organized pilgrimages to several religious events in Iowa and Minnesota, including a trip to see the Pope in Des Moines. She brought the traveling Pilgrim Virgin Statue to Cedar Rapids and prayed rosaries in her home and other homes for 35 years. For 31 years, Helen visited local nursing homes to pray the rosary and served 24 years to the Night Adoration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Please sign the online guest book for Helen at under obituaries.
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