Helen Maxwell

Funeral Services and a Mass of Christian Burial for Helen L. Maxwell, 99, a resident of Bettendorf, will be 11am Friday, March 13, 2020 at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, Bettendorf.  Burial will be in Mt. Calvary Cemetery, Davenport.  The family will greet friends at church Friday from 10am until the time of the service.  Helen passed away Tuesday, March 10, 2020 at her home in Bettendorf, surrounded by her family.  Halligan-McCabe-DeVries Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.

Helen L. Rothmeyer was born November 1, 1920 in Elkader, Iowa, a daughter of Charles and Mary “Mae” (Leonard) Rothmeyer.  She married John Maxwell November 29, 1947 in Davenport.  They celebrated 61 years of marriage prior to his preceding her in death December 5, 2008.

Helen was a graduate of St. Joseph’s High School in Elkader and then attended Elkader Junior College.  She was a rural school teacher in Clayton County for several years, an experience of which she had many fond memories.  She served three years during World War II in the Navy WAVES.  Helen became a homemaker after she was married.  In later years, she worked for Sears Roebuck.  She retired after 16 years as a clerk-typist for the Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center.  She was a dedicated blood donor, having donated at least five gallons of blood over the years, starting during World War II.  Helen was a long time member of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church and enjoyed gardening, reading and traveling.

Memorials may be made to Birthright, St. Jude’s Hospital for Children in St. Louis or Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church.

Those left to honor Helen’s memory include her children and their spouses: Steven and Mary Maxwell, Wheeling, West Virginia; Charles and Ann Maxwell, Davenport; Patricia Maxwell, Lake of the Hills, Illinois; Kathryn Maxwell, Albuquerque, New Mexico; David Maxwell, Bettendorf; and Gary Maxwell, Durham, North Carolina; eight grandchildren: Kate, Jake, Timothy, Jonathan, Cameron, Grayson, Joanna and Alyssa; and brother:  Joseph Rothmeyer, Monona, Iowa.

She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, John, brothers, Charles and John Rothmeyer, and sister, Mary Freund.

“Don’t wish for what isn’t, just deal with what is!”

Online remembrances may be expressed at www.hmdfuneralhome.com .