It is with great sadness that the family of Helen Lawson, 89, announce her passing on Wednesday, August 23, 2023. The loving Mother of 4, Grandmother of 11, Great-
Grandmother of 18, Great-Great-Grandmother of 3, Sister, & Aunt, passed away at the age of 89.
Visitation will be held on Monday, August 28th from 5 to 8 pm, and a celebration of life will be held on Tuesday, August 29th at 10:30 am, all at the Merle Hay Chapel, 4400 Merle Hay Rd in Des Moines. Memorials may be directed to the family for causes important to Helen.
To view a livestream of the celebration of life go here: https://player.vimeo.com/video/858793323
Following the live event the link will remain active to view a recording of the service.
She is survived by her son, Ralph (Laura) & Daughters, Sue (Rick), Tracy (Brad), & Julie (Matt) & Sister, Gladys Wilson; as well as several nieces & nephews.
Helen was preceded in death by her parents, Homer & Lela (Venn) Munyon, brothers, Tom & Don Munyon, sisters, Eleanor Stolp, Ruby Coffin, & Laura Williams, granddaughter, Valerie, great-grandchildren, Zachary & Jordan, long-time companion, Robert Dillon, husbands, Frank Lawson & Ralph Eaton Sr.
Helen retired from her position of Quality Control Inspector for PARR Manufacturing of Des Moines in 1997.
Sharing Helen’s Favorite Things:
Television:
National News 5:30, Local News 6:00 don’t call…Helen’s not really listening to you…we all knew!!! Helen loved her cowboy western shows…anyone watching with her…spoiler alert, she knew what was going to happen in almost all of them.
The Golden Girls every night faithfully on her Hallmark station! Oh! & On Thursday nights…Young Sheldon is on, everyone knew not to call then for sure!
Game Night:
Friday evening was the standing Farkle Night…If you don’t know, it’s a dice game!
Have your dimes ready! Known for sudden outbursts at the scorekeeper. Snack time at 8:30! All take turns bringing the evening treats. She has it posted on the calendar. Her special treat was Chocolate Cake…delicious! Her kids joked… “it’s
because you make it with LOVE, right Mom?” She would reply…”That’s right!” Hopefully there is some left…Ralphy likes huge pieces!
Prairie Meadows:
Helen looked forward to her play time at “The Meadows”! Fingers crossed her favorite lucky machine was available! And, Brrrr dress warm…several layers.
Puzzles:
Helen really enjoyed puzzles, but, be sure to only bring a 300-500 Piece puzzles to her. Dolly, her dog (named aer Dolly Parton) was known to snatch a piece or two for a chew…complicating the already too complicated process. Always too
funny!!!
Tomatoes:
There was the time Helen had her favorite, a beautiful Beef Steak Tomato growing in the garden. “I’ll give it one more day,” she thought! Well, the resident groundhog thought that it looked perfect! She screamed as she saw it scamper across the lawn with it in its mouth! Again, too funny!
Car Rides:
A relaxing cruise around town to see what’s happening. Helen was adamant, “Don’t even think of touching that cell phone!”
Food:
Holidays were important. Hmm, what to serve? Turkey? Ham? No…it’s going to
be Helen’s favorite steak, Filet Mignon…yep!
Family:
To Helen, family was everything!!! Lots of hugs & kisses to go around. It took 20
minutes to say goodbye before departing!
LOVE:
Helen will always, always be remembered for her generous spirit & love of
Family. We will shed tears that she is gone but will forever be grateful that she lived.
