PANORA - Helen L. Goodman, of Panora, formerly of Fort Dodge, passed away on Wednesday May 30, 2012 at the Panora Care Center 20 days shy of her 101st birthday.
Funeral services will held on Saturday June 2nd at 10:30 a.m. at Corpus Christi Church with Msgr. Kevin McCoy officiating at the Mass of Christian Burial. Burial will be in Corpus Christi Cemetery. Visitation will be from 9:00 a.m. on Saturday at Corpus Christi Church until the time of the service. The Laufersweiler-Sievers Funeral Home is serving the family.
Helen Loretta O'Connor was born on June 19, 1911, in Platte, South Dakota to Frank and Bridget (Travis) O'Connor and was the oldest of five daughters. She attended Midwest College of Commerce in Sioux City, Iowa and returned to Platte to work as a bookkeeper for the Northwestern Public Service until her marriage on September 15, 1934, in Sioux City to W.A. "Connie" Goodman of Correctionville who was a principal and coach. They made stops in Bronson, Danbury, Alta, Nevada, and Newton before moving to Fort Dodge in 1946. While in Newton, with her husband serving in the U.S. Army during WWII, she worked for the Maytag Company and became the first editor of the Maytag Bulletin, a weekly newsletter for the local employees and those serving overseas.
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HELEN L. GOODMAN
Helen graduated from Fort Dodge Junior College in 1958 and later received a Bachelor of Science and Masters' Degree in Education from Drake University. She taught her first year at Somers before teaching second grade at Cooper School in Fort Dodge for seven years. She was then selected as one of four teachers to introduce the Federal Title I Reading program throughout Fort Dodge schools where she remained for 12 years until her retirement in 1977. Helen was a past President and Legislative Chairman of the Webster County Retired Teachers and a member of the National Education of Retired Teachers. She was also a life member of the Iowa State Teachers Association and a delegate for the Older Iowans Legislation in Des Moines for four years. She had been a member of the American Legion Auxiliary and the Catholic Daughters of America for the past fifty years. Helen was also an active member of BeFrienders Ministry for several years in her church, Corpus Christi, which she attended since 1946.
Survivors include her sons, Tom (Connie) of Panora; Terry of Park City, UT; grandsons, Jay (Jill) of Iowa City; Tommy (Heidi) of Altoona, and Jack of Park City, Utah; great-grandchildren include Joey, Ryan, Tate, Quinn, Bode, and Eric; and many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her husband, W.A. "Connie" Goodman in 1993; her parents, Frank and Bridget O'Connor; sisters, Mary Frances O'Connor, Kathryn Johnson, Irene Tangeman and Marcella Hodson.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Fort Dodge Senior High Booster Club.
