Helen Catherine Lodge

MADISON - Helen Catherine Lodge, aged 96, passed away peacefully on Wednesday afternoon, November 14, 2018, in her apartment at Oakwood Village University Woods (Madison). She was born on August 30, 1922, in London, England. The youngest of three, Helen was predeceased by her parents, Sir Robert and Rose (Fitzgerald) Bannatyne, her sister, Elspeth Robbins, and her brother Patrick Bannatyne who was killed in the Second World War. After attending Queen's Gate School, Kensington, she matriculated at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, where she received BA and MA degrees in History, in 1943. During her first month at Oxford, she met fellow "fresher" Arthur Scott Lodge of Liverpool, UK, and they were married on July 18, 1945. They remained in Oxford while Arthur completed his Ph.D., and their first child Keith, was born. In the first years of their marriage, Helen taught in local English schools, before they moved to Canada for a year while Arthur worked at the Chalk River Laboratory. Upon returning to the UK, Arthur accepted a position at the British Rayon Research Association near Manchester, and the couple settled in Sale, where their other two children, Alison and Timothy, were born. ...[more]

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family subsequently moved to Didsbury, where they lived until 1968. At that time Arthur became a professor at the University of Wisconsin; Arthur, Helen and their youngest child, Timothy emigrated to the US to Madison, which has been her home ever since. Although the transatlantic move meant separation from friends and family, including her two older children, Helen embraced the new opportunities and built a rich and fulfilling life. She was active in many organizations, including volunteering at Head Start and teaching English to spouses of international scholars at the University. She became an enthusiastic birdwatcher, and for 50 years was a regular participant in the local Dickens Fellowship. She shared Arthur's passion for music, and she was a loyal supporter of the Madison Opera, Madison Symphony, and Madison Savoyards. After Arthur passed away in 2005, just before they could celebrate their 60th anniversary, Helen moved to Oakwood and went out of her way to make many new friends, as well as enjoying with delight old friends already residing there. She loved the daily cultural programmes at Oakwood, and participated in the many other wide-ranging activities including exercise classes. Helen enjoyed hiking all her life, and kept herself mobile until the last weeks. She was an avid and knowledgeable reader. A person of uncommon grace and charm, Helen was warmly embraced by all who knew her. She possessed tact and diplomacy in abundance, and loved her family unconditionally. Nevertheless, she held firm to principle when appropriate, and had an amazing inner strength that belied her slight build. In recent years, as physical frailty and failing eyesight began to circumscribe her activities, she remained cheerful and grateful to the many who came to converse and to read aloud. She is survived by her three children: Keith (Stephanie) of Duluth, MN, Alison Shambrook (Peter) of Durham, UK, and Timothy (Susanna) of Minneapolis, MN; her seven grandchildren Fiona, Jean, Hannah, and Samuel Lodge, Patrick and Anthony Shambrook, and Teresa Tajuddin; her four great-grandchildren Ruby and Benjamin Shambrook, and Chloe and Emily Tajuddin. The family thanks the wonderful staff of Oakwood Village, Senior Helpers, and Agrace Hospice for their many services. A Commemorative Service will be held in the Chapel, Oakwood West, 6205 Mineral Point Rd, Madison, at 1 pm on Saturday, November 24, 2018, followed by a reception. All are welcome. Those wishing to make donations might consider the Oakwood Foundation or the Madison Friends of International Students Cress Funeral & Cremation Service 3610 Speedway Road Madison, WI 53705