Helen Anderson, 93, went peacefully to be with her heavenly Father Saturday evening, March 28, 2020. She has been residing at Living Center West in Cedar Rapids. Memorial services will held at a later date at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Vinton. Burial will be in Maplewood Cemetery, Vinton.

Helen was born January 28, 1927 in Chicago, Illinois. She was the only child of Edwin and Aurita Rosain. Helen grew up in Chicago and had a lifelong love of animals. She loved to tell stories of the pets she had living in the city. She was a very good student and told of skipping two grades and graduated from the Dutch Reform High School at the age of 16. There was a Coe College recruiter at her school and she and her parents decided that she would go to Coe College in Cedar Rapids, IA. She joined the Chi Omega sorority and was the Zoology Lab Assistant when Paul Anderson returned from the war as a cadet in the Army Air Corps. They eloped in May 1947, the weekend before her graduation. She and Paul moved to Vinton and she got a job at the old Virginia Gay Hospital as their Lab and x-ray supervisor. She and Paul had 3 children. She taught high school Biology and Anatomy and Physiology for 21 years. She loved her students and she loved teaching. She was a wonderful seamstress, making all of Karen and Judy's clothes as well as clothes for their dolls. She had a huge garden every year and canned vegetables and was a great cook. She loved being in Iowa and her dream was to be on a farm in the country. She and Paul built a house in the country and did get a farm that their son Steve farmed. They also raised Belgian draft horses and she delighted in caring for them. They joined Bethlehem Lutheran Church in 1947 and were very active members. Helen dressed up in a Scandinavian outfit every fall for the annual Smorgasbord at the church. She took great pride in being the head of the Altar Guild.

Paul and Helen loved to square dance when they were a young couple and they spent many nights dancing the night away with their friends. Helen learned to swim after her children were born. She went through the Red Cross Program and became a Red Cross Water Safety Instructor and the head of the Red Cross Program for years. Helen loved being a mother, grandmother and great grandmother.

Helen is survived by daughters, Karen (Mike) Barnotes of Cedar Rapids and Judy Tooley of Ft.Collins, CO; grandchildren, Casey (Lindsay) Prince of Cedar Rapids,

Salim Abed of Arvada, CO, Jackie (Carly) Anderson of Coralville, IA, Jacob (Beth) Anderson, Vinton; great grandchildren, Shae Rich, Eloise and Phoebe Prince, Caroline, William and Baby boy Anderson due in July.

She was preceded in death by her husband Paul in 2013 and son Steven in 2018.

The family wishes to extend a thank you to the entire staff at Living Center West for the wonderful care they provided for Mom.

Memorials will be directed to the Better Together Animal Rescue Inc. in Vinton and the Cedar Valley Humane Society.

Van Steenhuyse-Russell Funeral Home is caring for Helen and her family. Condolences may be left at www.vsrfh.com

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JS March 31, 2020, 12:09 pm My sympathies go out to your family. May you all cherish your beautiful memories and grow closer as a family. Give thanks for a life well lived. My thoughts and prayers go out to you all😘
MOR April 1, 2020, 12:21 pm Helen remains in my memory as one of those extraordinary women we all strive to be like. We, the Olsons and later the Robles, feel fortunate to count on Helen and Paul as friends being as close to family as possible. She is at peace with Paul and those Bethlehem friends that went before her.
Marsha and Alberto Robles