Helen Barnes Obituary

Helen Louise (Borland/McGehee) Barnes transitioned to heaven on June 26, 2025, at the age of 97 after a long life of serving her Lord and Jesus Christ. Up until the end she maintained all her wits as well as a sense of humor. She loved her close friends, family, and caretakers at the nursing home where she continued to extend her friendship with other residents and staff. She will be missed by many, which is uncommon at her age as she commented on occasionally. She always maintained high spirits, especially when in a room full of her friends, and had a full life engaged in the community and fellowships she fostered along the way.
She was most proud of her personal accomplishments in her career, starting in bookkeeping, then as a bank teller, and working up to a VP within The Citizens National Bank, without any tertiary education. There wasn't a club or activity that she didn't join and a meeting she didn't have time to attend. She was an accomplished bowler, a supporting wife of Bicycle Bob's RAGBRAI adventures, as well as being a member of Toastmistress, Soroptimist, Bridge Clubs, and many other organizations too numerous to mention, and at 97 was still a member in good standing of the PEO. During her life time she was a member of First Methodist Church, Trinity Lutheran Church, and currently First Evangelical Free Church in Boone Iowa.
She delighted in putting glitter in her hair on New Year's Eve and socializing with her husband Robert (Bob) D. McGehee. She was best known for her packing skills on family vacations, literally immersing herself in the trunk of the car to ensure no space was left vacant.
After Bob's passing in 1983, Helen later married J Kenneth Barnes and remained faithful to him for another 32 years until he passed away in 2020. Mom and Kenny enjoyed retirement together and traveled all over the US as well as a few trips to Europe, but enjoyed their time spent in Branson, MO the most. Musical tastes moved away from Big Band era to Country & Gospel music, and she continued to hum and sing songs and hymns from her childhood regardless of her vocal prowess.
She successfully put on a spread for family dinners and holidays and delighted in making pies, cookies, and desserts. There wasn't a beef roast that she met that didn't end up burnt, but her fried chicken made up for it. Every visit started with the offer of food and an insistence to have a bite.
As a tradition, Helen's daughters roasted her every decade on a milestone birthday to commemorate the occasion, which continued for almost 50 years. Poems and songs were written, and in honor of almost reaching 100, a roast will be served as a final good-bye.
Helen is survived by a long list of relatives, grandkids, great-grandkids, and friends who visited her often in the nursing home. She was never left lonely and when she was, she knitted, leaving a legacy of many dish cloths until her sight and arthritis got the better of that hobby.
Helen was preceded in death by both husbands, mother Erma (Crouse/Borland) Carlson, father Charles Borland, stepfather Elmer Carlson, daughter Laura J McGehee, and sister Jean (Borland) Garvey.
Surviving family includes daughters, Amy L (Craig) Shafer, and Melissa A (Don) DeLong; grandchildren: Christopher Shafer, Alyssa (Erik) Brandau, Steve (Nicole) DeLong, Mallory DeLong (Alonzo Markham); great-grandchildren: Christian Brandau, Carson and Kennedy DeLong, and Zoey, Maliyah, Malakhi, and Zariyah Markham.
Bonus children and grandchildren include: Kevin (Kim) Barnes, Jennifer (David) Best, Olivia (Jack) Leonhard, Bradley, Mathew, and Andrew Borst, and Grayson Borst and Meadow Borst.
Memorial services will be at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, July 9, 2025, at the First Evangelical Free Church in Boone, with Pastor Tom Mason officiating. Visitation with the family present to greet friends will be before the service from 10:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. Interment will be at 1:30 p.m. at Bass Point Cemetery in Boone County.
For those unable to attend, the service will be live streamed on the Schroeder-Stark-Welin Funeral Home Facebook Page. The live stream will start 5 minutes before the service (10:55 a.m.) and can be accessed at: https://www.facebook.com/SchroederStarkWelin
In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to the First Evangelical Free Church in Boone or to Mission Central in Mapleton, Iowa.
Schroeder-Stark-Welin Funeral Home, 515-432-4550.
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