Helen Puffer

Helen Roberta Slater Puffer, 86 of Lakeland, Florida, formerly of Anamosa, Lisbon, and Mechanicsville, died Tuesday, September 7, 2004, at her Florida home from complications of Leukemia. The family will greet friends Tuesday, from 5:00 until 7:00 p.m., at Morgan Funeral and Cremation Choices, Mount Vernon Chapel. Graveside services will be Wednesday, at 11:30 a.m., at Rose Hill Cemetery, Mechanicsville, by the Reverend James Roberts. Surviving Helen are a daughter Kaylene Nartic of Gainesville, Florida, a son Douglas of Lakeland, three grandchildren: Michael Massaro, Crossville, Tennessee, Heather Childree and Aaron Puffer both of Lakeland, several nieces, nephews and a host of friends. Also surviving Helen are three sisters, Ione Lehr and Marion Louise Pike of Lisbon and Margaret Morningstar of Mount Vernon. Preceding Helen in death were her parents and her husband Raymond. Helen was born April 28, 1918 at Lisbon the daughter of Emer and Frances Reid Slater. She married Raymond "Buzz" Puffer June 24, 1940 at the Little Brown Church at Nashua, Iowa. He died August 24, 1989. Helen attended Cornell College, at Mount Vernon, University of Northern Colorado at Greeley, received her B.A. Degree from Coe College, Cedar Rapids, and received her Master's Degree at the University of Iowa, at Iowa City. Helen and her husband moved to Lakeland in 1984, where she taught art for one year at Lakeland Christian School. Helen was a member of Lakeside Baptist Church, Daughters of the American Revolution, Delta Kappa Gamma, and was a life member of both Iowa and Florida Retired Teachers. She was a professional artist and was a member of the Art On The Park and Lakeland Art Guild. She had several one artist shows. Helen taught school for twenty-eight years and during the last eighteen years, she taught junior high school English and literature and high school art, as well as evening classes at Kirkwood Community College at Cedar Rapids. A memorial fund has been established.