Helen Stuart Boddy

Helen Stuart Boddy, 95, passed away December 5, 2016, at her home in Keokuk, Iowa. Helen was born in Keokuk, Iowa, on February 7, 1921, the daughter of George and Elsie G. Jones Montague. On May 22, 1949, she was united in marriage to Orville R. Boddy at First Baptist Church in Keokuk. He preceded her in death on February 4, 1986. An active member of First Lutheran Church in Keokuk, Helen faithfully sang in the choir and was a past member of the League of Women and the BPW. Helen received her BA in journalism at Northwestern University and was a teacher at the Illinois Department of the Blind in Chicago. She was a proof-reader for the Iowa Commission of the Blind and a Ham Radio Operator, where she went by the nickname, "Pixie". Some of Helen's other activities and interests included reading, playing the accordion and the organ, staying active in politics, enjoying classical music, especially the opera, and rooting for the Cubs. Helen is survived by her nieces Christine Denson of Springfield, Illinois; and Kathy Carlton of Keokuk; her nephew Gerald Yarrington of Kansas City, Missouri; her very special friends John Sammons of Keokuk and Ron and Jeanne Westby of Keoku...[more]

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her companion dog Piper, and several nieces and nephews, great nieces and nephews, great-great nieces and nephews, and one great-great-great niece. Helen is preceded in death by her parents, her husband, four sisters: Catherine Clemans, Edna Kay, Marjorie Head, and Dorothy Yarrington, and nine guide dogs. A celebration of her life will be held at 1 PM on Friday, December 9, 2016, at the First Lutheran Church in Keokuk, with Reverend Rodney Underwood officiating. Burial will follow at Oakland Cemetery in Keokuk. Visitation will be held from 7 to 9 PM on Thursday, December 8, at DeJong-Greaves Celebration of Life Centers at 917 Blondeau Street. Memorials may be made to the First Lutheran Church of Keokuk.