Helena "Helen" Mekshes

Helena C. “Helen” Mekshes, 95, formerly of Bettendorf, Iowa, died Friday, April 5, 2013 at Taylorville Memorial Hospital, Taylorville, Illinois.

Private family services are to be held.  McGinnis-Chambers Funeral Home, Bettendorf is assisting the family with arrangements.

Helen was born August 21, 1917 in Detroit, Mich., the daughter of Sandor and Alice (Golovich) Molnar.  She was united in marriage to Paul Mekshes in 1939 in Davenport, Iowa.  He preceded her in death in 1982.

Helen was a homemaker who enjoyed reading, gardening and traveling the world. Until the age of eighty-eight she spent much of her time caring for her disabled daughter, Lynne.  A longtime resident of Bettendorf, she moved to Taylorville following her husband, Paul’s death.

Those left to honor her memory include her daughters, Carol (Hal) Alexander, Taylorville, Sondra (Donald) Caplin of Waltham, Massachusetts and Lynne Mekshes, Centralia, Illinois, and her daughter-in-law, Pat Mekshes, Manchester, New Hampshire,

Also surviving are  seven grandchildren, April Slattery, Waltham, Massachusetts, Christopher Carrico, Walpole, Massachusetts, Michaela Hellman, Dorchester, Massachusetts, Andrea Mekshes, West Hollywood, California, Rebecca Mekshes, Westport, Massachusetts, Michael Mekshes, Manchester, New Hampshire and Krista Bowers, Calabassas, California;  five great-grandchildren Caitlin Slattery, Waltham, Massachusetts, Petra Morozova, West Hollywood, California,  Tomas Carrico, Boulder, Colorado and Maximillian and Phoebe Bowers, Calabassas, California;  and four step-great-grandchildren, Tatiana, Natasha, Tiana and Jacob Rodriguez all of Walpole, Massachusetts.

In addition to her husband, Paul she was preceded in death by her son, Michael W. Mekshes.