Obituary of Helen Cornelia Bates

Helen C. Bates Newton Funeral services for Helen C. Bates, will be held at 11:00 a.m. Monday, July 18th at the First United Methodist Church in Newton. Friends may call at the Pence-Reese Funeral Home after 1:00 p.m. Sunday, July 17th. The family will be present at a visitation from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m.,. Burial will be at Graceland Cemetery in Laurel, Iowa. Memorials are being designated for First United Methodist Church or Kellogg Historical Society. Helen Cornelia Bates, 96, the daughter of Gerrit Loff and Jennie Janssen, was born June 15, 1915 in rural Sully, Iowa. She attended country school in the Sully area. Helen was united in marriage with William Warren Bates on May 24, 1939, in the Little Brown Church, Nashua, Iowa. Helen was a member of Newton First United Methodist Church, Barrett Homemakers, United Methodist Women, Kellogg Historical Society and had attended Kellogg United Methodist Church for many years. She loved her family and enjoyed gardening, cooking, baking and needlework. Helen died on Friday, July 15, 2011, in the Monarch Wing at Skiff Medical Center in Newton. She was preceded in death by her parents; husband Warren on November 26, 1994, grandson Bruce Lane, great-grandson Ryan Mohler, brother Cornie Loff and sister Gladys Beukema. Those left to honor the memory of Helen include her daughters and sons-in-law, Phyllis Joan and Bob Lane of Newton, Dorothy and Larry Wood of Newton, eight grandchildren Leeanne (Kelly) Mohler, Nancy (Bob) Ainsworth, Cathy (Terry) Moss, Susan Dewar, Chris (Laurie) Wood, Mike Wood, Steven (Jen) Dewar, Beth (Corey) Walker and fifteen great-grandchildren Kyle Bunker, Christine Strickland, Nathan Dewar, Kara DeBruyn, R.J. Ainsworth, Charlie Ainsworth, Mackenzie Moss, Michaela Wood, Tyler Wood, Anne Wood, Kate Wood, Sophia Walker, Zachary Dewar, Alex Dewar, Corbin Walker, sister Gertrude VanSickel of Newton; and sister-in-law Pat Bates of Newton.