Helen Stonecypher

Helen Stonecypher, 78, of Charles City, died Jan. 31, 2017 at the 11th Street Chautauqua Guest Home in Charles City.

Funeral services will be held 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 4, 2017, at the Hugeback-Johnson Funeral Home – Olson Chapel in Nashua. Interment will be in Oak Hill Cemetery, Nashua with Thomas Tjaden, Luke Tjaden, Jerry Vetter, Bill Vetter, David Hauser, Jim Hauser, Aaron Bender and Tom Ramker serving as pallbearers.

Friends may greet the family 4-7 p.m. Friday at the Hugeback-Johnson Funeral Home – Olson Chapel in Nashua. Visitation continues an hour prior to the service at the funeral home on Saturday. Online condolences for Helen’s family may be left at www.hugebackfuneralhome.com.

Helen E. Stonecypher was born June 21, 1938 in rural Nashua, the daughter of Alfred A. and Helen A. (Gutzmer) Vetter. She attended Riverton Country School and graduated from Charles City High School in 1956. During high school she worked at the Daylight Store in Charles City.

On Sept. 8, 1957, she married the love of her life, Eldon Stonecypher, at St. John Lutheran Church in Charles City. To this union, three children were born. The couple farmed together for many years. They raised pigs, cattle and tended to their crops, including corn and beans.

On Aug. 25, 1987, Eldon and her son Douglas were taken away from her due to a car accident. Church and her faith were very important to Helen. Helen loved to bowl. She was a lifetime member of the Women’s Bowling Association and participated in the Senior Iowa Games for three years. She also enjoyed going out to eat, gardening, field work, playing cards and praying with different people.

Helen is survived by one daughter, Denise (Otto) Tjaden of Dumont; one son, David Stonecypher of the Philippines; two grandsons, Thomas (Jennifer) Tjaden of Cedar Falls and Luke Tjaden of Waterloo; one great-granddaughter, Nora Tjaden; one sister, Marian (Jim) Large of Broken Arrow, Okla.; one sister-in-law, Maxine Vetter of Charles City; two brothers-in-law, Art Kohls of Greene and Raymond (Marj) Stonecypher of Floyd; and many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Eldon; son, Douglas; step-father, Ben Hess; mother-in-law, Anna Stonecypher; father-in-law, Theodore Stonecypher; brother, Ernest Vetter; sister, Edna Hauser-Kohls; two brothers-in-law, Leonard Hauser and Will Potten.