Helen Mace

Helen Mace, age 96, of Savanna, Illinois passed away Wednesday, April 18, 2018 at the Alverno in Clinton, Iowa. A Funeral Mass will be held 11:00 a.m., Saturday, April 28, 2018 at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Savanna. Burial will take place in St. John’s Catholic Cemetery, Savanna. Visitation will be held from from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. prior to the mass at Antl Hall, Savanna. Memorials may be made to the Alverno.

Helen was born August 2, 1921, in Farmington Hills, Michigan, the daughter of Roy and Ida (Geoffrion) Kreason. Helen had an adventurous spirit, traveling to California after high school working as a secretary. In the 1940’s, Helen obtained her private pilot’s license. She proudly served her country in the United States Navy during World War II as an engine mechanic for the Anti-Submarine Coastal Patrol Blimps.

After returning to the Midwest, Helen married Donald Mace on May 12, 1956 in Baseline, Michigan. They celebrated 60 years of marriage prior to Donald’s death in 2017. She worked as a homemaker raising four children and also worked at the Eaton Corporation for 10 years. She was a member of St. John’s Catholic Church and the Catholic Daughters. Helen and Don enjoyed extensive travel around the U.S. in their motorhome after retirement, reconnecting with family and friends maintained over the course of their lifetimes.

Helen will be dearly missed by four children, Donald (Sheila) Mace of Camanche, Iowa; Patricia Mace of Davenport, Iowa; Kelly Mace of Hutschenhausen, Germany; Laura (Daniel) Raineri of Lake Zurich, Illinois; nine grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Helen is preceded in death by her husband, Donald E. Mace; her parents; brother Bill, and two sisters Marie and Grace.