Helen Bernice (Innis) HUGHES JOHNSON

JOHNSON, INNIS, KOGER, HUGHES, NEVILLE, RICHARDSON, KAEHN, COTTON, WIAND, THOMASSON, CLARK, VAN DRASKA

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 2/10/2024 at 13:07:00

June 7, 1923 ----- January 4, 2019

Helen Johnson, age 95 of Grinnell, Iowa died on Friday, January 4, 2019 at Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines. A celebration of her life will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, January 9th at the Smith Funeral Home in Grinnell with Pastor John Epperson officiating. Interment will be at Hazelwood Cemetery in Grinnell. A reception will follow at the Elks Lodge in Grinnell. Visitation will be held one hour prior to her service at the funeral home. Memorials may be designated to the St. Francis Manor Activity Fund or to the Grinnell Veterans Ceremonial Unit, mailed in care of the Smith Funeral Home, PO Box 368, Grinnell, Iowa 50112.

Helen Bernice Innis was born June 7, 1923 in Kidder, Missouri to James Reuben Innis and Martha Crisan (Koger) Innis. The family moved to Grinnell when Helen was very young and she graduated from Grinnell High School in 1942. Helen was united in marriage to Wilbur Floyd Hughes on August 14, 1942 in Kirksville, Missouri. The couple was blessed with four children: Beverly, Sandra, Patricia, and Ronald. They farmed near Ewart, Iowa for a short time and moved to Grinnell in 1955 where they operated the Cities Service Gas Station and later ran the Grinnell Cab Company. After Floyd’s death from a truck accident in 1969, Helen was united in marriage to Rodney H. Johnson on February 12, 1971 in Brooklyn, Iowa. They moved to Eagle Grove, Iowa where Rod was a truck driver and Helen kept house and sold Avon. In June 2000 they moved back to Grinnell, Iowa.

Helen’s family was her life. She dearly loved her children and grandchildren and cherished their time together. She enjoyed family time, playing cards and games, bowling, telling stories, watching golf and football on TV, and liked country music. While at St. Francis Manor she enjoyed playing Bingo and attending the entertainment programs there.

Helen is survived by her children, Beverly (Joe) Neville of Williamsburg, Iowa, Sandra Hughes of Grinnell, Pat (Walt) Richardson of Grinnell, and Ron (Kathy) Hughes of Everett, Washington; 7 grandchildren, Jet Stephanie Kaehn, Brenda Neville (Brandon Cotton), Steven Hughes, Leigh (Wade) Wiand, Jeff Neville, and Jackie (Ryan) Thomasson; 5 great grandchildren, Evan Clark, Jackson Hughes, Kayleigh Thomasson, Xander Wiand, and Sydney Wiand. Helen was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Wilbur Floyd Hughes in 1969; husband, Rodney Johnson in 2006; grandson, Mike Hughes in 2018; and siblings, Revea Van Draska, Raymond Innis, Floyd Innis, Virgil Innis, Clarence Innis, and Everett Innis.

https://www.smithfh.com/obituaries/Helen-Johnson?obId=3985945#/obituaryInfo