Helen Ruth Shuppara

April 21, 1923 – October 18, 2013

Helen passed away peacefully; with her family at her bedside, early Friday morning at Springfield Memorial Hospital after a brief stay due to a pulmonary embolism. She is survived by her son Fred, her daughter-in-law Virginia, her grandson Alex, (all of Oak Park, Illinois), and several nieces and nephews. She was born to Arthur and Fannie (Shirley) Summers at the family farm near Akin in Franklin County, Illinois. She married Otto Shuppara in 1945 in Springfield, and remained with him until his death in 1992. She was a lifelong resident of Illinois, and spent most of her adult life in Sangamon County. Helen, always called Ruth by her parent’s family, was the youngest and last surviving of eight children, viz.: Bryan, Paul, Opal (King), Ruby (Vice), Berniece (Day), Wilma (Yaris), and Macel (Kiddoo), and Ruth. She was a former member of the Elliott Avenue Baptist Church, and the Dawson United Methodist Church. She was an avid reader and letter writer, and appreciated a wide variety of music. She baked excellent pies and sweets, and had worked for the dietitian at Memorial Hospital before Fred was born. She was a proud grandmother, and a great help to Virginia after Alex was born. Helen and Otto both donated their bodies to medical science; their monument will be placed at Knob Prairie Cemetery near Akin, Illinois. Memorial donations may be made to the charity of the donor’s choice, c/o Bisch and Son Funeral Home, 505 E. Allen, Springfield, IL 62703. Please visit the online obituary at www.bischandsonfuneralhome.com where tributes and condolences may be left for the family.