Helen Dunaway
February 13, 1918 – March 23, 2012
Oskaloosa, Iowa
Visitation: 10:00 A.M. until the time of service at 11:00 A.M. March 26, 2012 at Fremont Funeral Chapel
Funeral Service: 11:00 A.M. March 26, 2012 at Fremont Funeral Chapel
Interment: Wymore Cemetery
Helen Elizabeth Dunaway, 94, of Oskaloosa, died Friday, March 23, 2012, at the Mahaska Health Partnership Hospice Serenity House in Oskaloosa. She was born February 13, 1918, in Oskaloosa, the daughter of Charles M. and Alcia McLandsborough Dunaway. She was raised on the family farm near Ollie, Iowa, and graduated from the Ollie Consolidated School as class valedictorian in 1935. After graduating, Helen furthered her education at Chillicothe Business College in Missouri.
She took her first job at an office in Des Moines. Helen then moved to Washington D.C. where she took a job with the FBI. She worked as an administrative assistant to one of the five FBI assistant directors under J. Edgar Hoover. Helen remembered being in her office at FBI headquarters when she heard the news about Pearl Harbor. While in Washington D.C., Helen continued her education and earned her A.A. in 1945, her B.A. in Political Science in 1950, and her Masters in Art in 1968. In 1974, after 34 years of service, she retired from the FBI so she could return to Oskaloosa to care for her ailing mother.
Helen had a passion for art especially sculpture and painting which was evident by the many works of art she created. One such work was a life-sized painting of J. Edgar Hoover, which she was able to present to him in 1969. Helen was very proud of her career and service to the FBI. She was a member of the First Christian Church in Oskaloosa, and was active in the bell choir for many years. She was also a member of the Society of FBI Alumni, and the Order of the Eastern Star. She was a very proud Republican, and enjoyed sharing her views with anyone who would listen. She always looked forward to visits from her friends and caregivers, Mark and Jo Ford, Scott Stewart, and Lee and Retalee Grubb.
Her family includes her brother, John W. Dunaway of Sigourney, two sisters: Phyllis Jean Barry of Arlington, Virginia and Mary Ruth Camp of Gaithersburg, Maryland; and several nieces and nephews. Helen was preceded in death by her parents and a brother, James M. Dunaway. Funeral services will be held Monday, March 26, 2012, at 11 a.m. in the Fremont Funeral Chapel, Fremont, with the Reverend Mike Omundson officiating
. Burial will be in the Wymore Cemetery, northeast of Oskaloosa. Visitation will be Monday from 10 a.m. until service time at the funeral chapel.
Memorials may be made to the First Christian Church or to the Hospice Serenity House, both of Oskaloosa.
Arrangements are by the Fremont Funeral Chapel, Fremont.
