Helen I. Lannan

Helen I.”Koopie” Lannan, 86, of Davenport, passed away, Friday, July 2, 2010, at the Bettendorf Health Care Center. Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Wednesday, July 7, 2010, in the Runge Mortuary Chapel. Visitation will be Tuesday from 5-7 p.m. at the mortuary. Burial will be in Pine Hill Cemetery. Memorials may be made to Hospice Compassus, Grace Lutheran Church, Davenport, or Bettendorf Health Care Center. Online condolences may be made at www.rungemortuary.com.

Helen was born Dec. 7, 1923, in Davenport, the daughter of Henry and Lillie (Schneckloth) Koopmann. She graduated from Davenport High School in the Class of 1942. In 1972, she completed a small-business accounting class at Scott Community College.

Because her parents were co-owners of Koopman Bros. Florists on 39th Street in Davenport - right behind where Runge Mortuary now stands - she grew up loving flowers. She and her sisters, Dorothy and Lois, helped out in the greenhouses when they were growing up. After high school, she worked at Jacob’s Dental Supply in Davenport, traveled extensively with her many girlfriends and was an active member of Beta Sigma Phi, a service organization.

At the age of 30, she married George Lannan in Davenport on May 15, 1954. While raising a family, she worked part-time as a bookkeeper at various businesses, including the Davenport YMCA and several accounting firms in Davenport and Bettendorf.

Later in life, she volunteered for many projects, including being part of a research study on osteoporosis through the University of Iowa; serving as a literacy teacher through Scott Community College’s Volunteer Literacy Program, during which she helped a woman originally from Mexico learn English; and was a neighborhood representative for the American Heart Association and American Cancer Society.

She was a woman with a big heart, a hearty laugh and a beautiful smile. She always wanted to be a teacher, but because there weren’t enough funds for her to go to college, she found other ways to teach and share life’s lessons. Always gracious and kind, she was quick to offer a heartfelt thank you to all who helped her. She was a loving daughter, sister, wife, mother and friend who will be sorely missed.

Survivors include daughters Sandy and husband Dale Shepley, Des Moines, Connie Lannan and her fiancé Craig Brown, Geneseo, Ill.; sister Lois Kline, Naperville, Ill.; brother-in-law Richard Lannan and wife Ann, Bettendorf; sister-in-law Ing Lannan, Davenport; step-granddaughter Christina Rodgers, Albuquerque, N.M.; her beloved dog Jackie; and numerous nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, sister and brother-in-law Dorothy and Edward Schaefer, brother-in-law Herman Kline, brother-in-law Paul Lannan and numerous Koopmann cousins. May they rest in peace.

The family wants to especially thank the caring staff of Hospice Compassus, Bettendorf Health Care Center and Marty Brunsvold, parish nurse at Grace Lutheran Church. Without their love and compassion, Helen’s last days would not have been as pleasant.