Helen "Honey" Widener

Helen “Honey” Widener loved hanging with family and would fish every day if she had the chance. At the age of 76, Helen passed into the arms of God, Friday, July 3, 2020. A Visitation and Celebration of Life will be held at a later date.

A longtime resident of Sabula, Iowa, Helen was born August 7, 1943 in Savanna, Illinois, the daughter of Jesse Claude and Gertrude Ethel (James) Stoddard. She graduated from Sabula High School where she loved playing softball and nurtured a love for sports. On June 27, 1964, Helen married Charles Franklin Widener, Jr. They celebrated 55 years of marriage and raised three children, Troy, Ken and Tammy.

Helen could be found at the lake in Sabula, or the Green Island Bottoms teaching her kids about fishing and camping. Back in the day, you could have caught her with a pool stick in hand teaching them how to bank the eight ball in the corner pocket. She could hold her own on a pool table and didn’t take any guff. She had a great sense of humor, often outspoken, and even stubborn at times.

Helen’s passion for sports started at a young age, she loved being competitive. Her favorite teams to follow included the Hawkeyes, Cubs, and Steelers.

Her favorite holiday was Christmas, (she was a Claus- nut). She also loved Mickey Mouse and caring for animals. These things included her grandchildren, making life fun. Family was everything to Helen, and Helen was everything to her family; she was their rock and best friend.

Helen will be dearly missed by her three children, Troy (Rebecca) Widener of Preston; Kent Widener of Clinton, and Tammy (Eugene, Sr.) Kemp of Clinton; ten grandchildren; twenty great-grandchildren; and a brother, Ed (Janice) Stoddard of Bend Oregon. Helen is preceded in death by her parents; two sisters, Barbara Welch and Patricia O’Bryant; a grandson, Eugene Kemp, Jr. and a nephew, Jeremy Heidenreich.