Helen James, 98,  formerly of rural Keswick and New Sharon, passed away Friday afternoon, March 17, 2023 at the Brooklyn Community Estates. Funeral services will begin at 10:30 am Thursday, March 23, 2023 at the Holland-Coble Funeral Home in Montezuma. Burial will be held in the Union Mills Cemetery at Union Mills. Visitation will begin after 1:00 pm on Wednesday, March 22 with the family present from 5:00 to 7:00 pm at the Holland-Coble Funeral Home in Montezuma. Memorials may be designated to the JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) or Spina Bifida Association of Iowa.

Helen Paulene (McCulley) James was born on February 3, 1925 near Thornburg, Iowa to John and Catherine (Capehart) McCulley.  She was the tenth child of fourteen children.  She attended Green View Country School and graduated from Gibson High School in 1943.  Helen worked at the Maytag Factory at Newton, Iowa, the airplane plant in Omaha, Nebraska and then the Overall Factory in Oskaloosa, Iowa.  She was united in marriage to John C. "Jack" James in 1947 at the Methodist Church in Oskaloosa.  They settled on a farm by Deep River.  To this union two children were born, Michael James and Brenda James Sutfin.  Helen enjoyed her family, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.  She also enjoyed family get togethers, fishing, camping, wintering in Florida, fishing in Canada and playing cards.  Helen was not afraid of work.  Being a farmer's wife, she took care of many tasks from spring field work, hauling in wagons at harvest time, taking care of chores, raising chickens, and having a garden with always having breakfast, lunch and supper being a four course meal.  Helen's faith was always strong and she was a member of the New Sharon First Christian Church.  She was baptized April, 2010, and received the Lord as her personal savior.

Helen is survived by her son, Mike (Beth) James and  her daughter, Brenda (Dan) Sutfin of Deep River; her grandchildren, Heather (Cheyan) Steele, Alex (Leslie) James, Jennifer (Dustin) Stowell, Jessica (Bryce) Arneson and D.J. (Courtney) Sutfin; 10 great grandchildren, Alina, Marley, Tinsley, Connor, Declan, Walker, Liv, Reese, Junior and Ruth.

In addition to her husband, Helen was preceded in death by her parents; eight brothers, Marvin, Vernon, Donald, Kenneth "Tunney", David, William "Bill", Harlan, and Robert "Bob" McCulley and three sisters, Elizabeth Acord, Margaret Sampson,  Jean Williams, and two infants, Rassie and Catherine.