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Helen Aileen Settle, 94

Helen Aileen Settle, 94, of Marshalltown, entered eternal life on June 1, 2017, at Glenwood Place Assisted Living. Death came peacefully with family at her side under the care of Iowa River Hospice. She was the beloved wife of Kempton, devoted mother to Greg, John and Jerry, loving daughter, sister, grandmother, great grandmother and great, great grandmother. She was kind, caring and compassionate, and remained a constant role model of Christian faith to her children, friends and the community that she served.

A celebration of her life will be held at Mitchell Family Funeral Home on Saturday, June 10, 2017, at 11 a.m. with internment and family burial service following at Rose Hill Memorial Gardens. A buffet reception will be held immediately following the service at Fisher Community Center. Public visitation will be Friday, June 9, 2017, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Mitchell Family Funeral Home. Memorials may be directed to Iowa River Hospice, Camp Quaker Heights or the Animal Rescue League.

Helen was born on June 16, 1922, on a farm near Collins to Brantley and Cecil (Long) Jones. She attended schools in Rhodes, State Center and graduated as valedictorian in 1940 from Lincoln Township Consolidated school in Zearing. Helen became a Registered Nurse in 1943 following graduation from St. Thomas School of Nursing in Marshalltown.

Helen married Kempton Settle on September 8, 1943. Their son Greg was born in 1946 where they initially moved to Bangor to begin farming. They later moved to the New Providence area and sons John and Jerry arrived. In 1969 the family settled in Marshalltown.

Helen’s professional career spanned over 50 years as a Registered nurse. For 25 years she worked in the labor and delivery departments of Eldora and Nevada hospitals. Later, the opportunity arose to work as a nursing supervisor at the Iowa Veterans Home where she worked to expand nursing care concepts, advancement for people with disabilities, and accessibility for the physically handicapped.

She developed the first Infection Control Manual for the Iowa Veterans Home, which aided in the initial accreditation for the facility. She was invited to present her research at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia and became a requested speaker throughout the nation.

Helen became a member of the steering committee for the Central Iowans for Persons with Disabilities. She was appointed chairperson to the Governor’s Committee for the Employment of the Handicapped. She also held positions on the President’s Commission of Persons with Disabilities. Other accolades included an appointment to head the Iowa State Civil Rights Commission, certification by the American Nurses Association in Gerontology, Treasurer for the Greater Iowa Association of Rehab Nurses and Nurse of the Year by the Iowa Nurses Association. She continued her compassion for patient’s rights after her retirement by serving as an Iowa State Resident Advocate.

Helen’s personal life was dedicated to her family, faith, and service to the community. She was a testament to her Quaker beliefs as a Sunday school teacher for 80 years. Helen fulfilled many positions at each church community she attended. She served as president and remained a member of several Missionary Societies to promote faith, wellness, and aid to local and international recipients. She was a clergy volunteer for the area hospital, Executive Committee member for Churches United, and worked tirelessly for the House of Compassion for many years.

Helen’s hobbies were varied. Her extensive garden hosted national tour groups from the National Iris Society, American Hemerocallis, Hosta and Central Iowa Daylily Societies. She loved to collect art glass and crystal items and was an honorary member of the Early American Glass Club. Singing was always a great joy of her life, shared with her sisters Veva and Audrey. “The Jones Girls” are all now singing in the heavens to their Lord.

Left to celebrate Helen’s memory are sons John ,of Richland, Washington, and Jerry of Tripoli, Lebanon; daughter-in-law Bonny, of Aurora, Colorado; sisters-in-law Alice Marie Jones, of Ames and Issie Jones, of Nevada; 6 grandchildren, 7 great grandchildren, and 3 great-great grandchildren.

In death, she rejoins her parents, siblings, her husband Kempton; her son Greg and grandchild Michelle.

The family would like to extend their sincere appreciation to Iowa River Hospice and the staff of Glenwood Place for the loving and nurturing attention Helen received while under their care.

Starting at $4.38/week.

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