Helen E. McCartney

Helen E. McCartney
Of Kalamazoo, Michigan Fun-loving mother of four and grandmother of five granddaughters passed away Wednesday, November 19, 2008 under hospice care. Helen was born October 11, 1921 in Boston, Massachusetts. She graduated high school and was in the Rhode Island Honor Society all four years. She graduated from college with a B.A. in Education and was immediately recruited for Officer Training in the U.S. Navy at Smith College and also attended coding and decoding training at Mount Holyoke College. For two years she lived in New York City and decoded messages for the Admiral of the Eastern Sea Frontier. She also spent a third year decoding at Admiral and Quosent Point Naval Air Stations in Rhode Island. She received a commendation letter for decoding messages received from German submarines off the eastern seaboard. Helen then became a social worker in Warwick, Rhode Island before venturing to the University of Michigan to take one year of graduate level courses in history. She met Ward B. McCartney, Jr. who was graduating from the University of Michigan Dental School and was also a lieutenant in the Navy. They were married in October 1946 and drove to San Francisco where Ward was shipped out to the Pacific front after the end of the war for one year. During 1947, Helen was a substitute teacher in the San Francisco, CA area. They moved to Kalamazoo, MI since Ward had attended Kalamazoo College and felt Kalamazoo would be an excellent community to raise a family and to start his dental practice. They met a group of residents interested in purchasing land and having Frank Lloyd Wright design homes for them. They constructed their home between 1950-51. Ward built the molds used to pour the specially designed Usonian blocks for the homes in Parkwyn Village on Taliesin Drive. Helen authored memories about Frank Lloyd Wright and her experiences building the McCartney House in Parkwyn Village in 2002 after living in their home for over 50 years. They also built two vacation homes south of Manistee, MI starting in 1960. With their four children they spent long weekends skiing in the winter and swimming, sailing and sail boarding in the summers. Helen did bookkeeping and billings for Ward's practice and then switched to teaching in the Head Start program and also worked as a substitute teacher in the Kalamazoo Public Schools while raising four children. For five years she was the Chairperson for the UNICEF drive that took place around Halloween. She also served as the President of the Kalamazoo Valley Dental Auxiliary in 1967. This began her longstanding contributions as a volunteer to organizations in Kalamazoo. These included: Fund Raising for the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts Capital Fund Drive; two terms as President of the Kalamazoo Art League; Officer of the Women's Council for Kalamazoo College; President of the Women's Council in 2005-2006. She was appointed in 2008 as a Board member for the Gwen Frostic Center for Richmond Gallery Art at WMU. Her love of people, family and Kalamazoo and Manistee will be missed by all. Ward Jr. preceded her in death in 1996 and by her sister Jean in 1981. Helen was also a watercolor artist and exhibited in at least 15 different juried, one person or group shows, including: the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, South Haven Center for the Arts, Plainwell Arts Council Exhibit and Manistee Art Institute. Her watercolors drew from nature using color as her main vehicle of expression as well as creating artwork outdoors. Helen is survived by her four children, Ward McCartney III Ann Simons; Heather David Koenig; Jennifer Jeb Rumbough; Daphne Robin Williams and five granddaughters: Ashley and Courtney Rumbough, Brooks and Sierra McCartney, and Kelsey Koenig. The family wishes to thank her many loyal friends and Hospice of Southwest Michigan for their support. A memorial service will be held Saturday, November 22 at 10 A.M. at Stetson Chapel at Kalamazoo College. A reception in the Light Fine Arts Building lobby will follow the memorial. Assisting the family with arrangements are Langeland Family Funeral Homes, Memorial Chapel, 622 S. Burdick Street. www.langelands.com