Marilyn Diane Helfers

Marilyn Hust was born December 2, 1934 in Oak Park, IL, the daughter of Marie (Fischer) Hust and William Hust. She attended elementary and high school in Oak Park and received her Associates Degree in Biology from Blackburn College in Carlinville, IL.

While at Blackburn, Marilyn met the love of her life, William L. (Bill) Helfers. They were married October 1,1955 in Oak Park, IL. Through 66 years of marriage, Marilyn and Bill made homes in Des Plaines and Arlington Heights, IL, Chatham Township, NJ, Inverness, IL, and enjoyed 25 years of retired life in their home on Sanibel Island, FL.

Marilyn had a diverse working life. She was the founding editor of “She”, the first women’s section of The Arlington Day newspaper and won the University of Missouri JC Penney Award in Journalism. In this role she met many celebrities including Gerald Ford, James Beard, Rita Moreno, and Henny Youngman. She served as the communications manager for the National Office Machine Dealers’ Association (NOMDA) and was VP Public Relations at the Financial Managers’ Association (FMA).

Her talents included cooking and entertaining, gardening and bridge. She was an avid angler and shell collector, a long-time member of the Sanibel Power Squadron and an accomplished watercolor artist. Her interest in journalism led her to capture the antics of her daughters in a children’s book (“Sam’s Adventures in the Great Swamp”). Marilyn and Bill always enjoyed the companionship of dogs, most recently with their beloved Black Lab, Babe.

In addition to her husband Bill, she is survived by daughters Ellen (Bill) Joens of Scottsdale, AZ and Sue (Dan) Brady of Edgewood, KY; granddaughters Amanda Brady of Erlanger, KY and Shannon Brady of Chicago, IL; sister Lynn (Thomas) Baldoni of Palatine, IL; as well as several nieces and nephews.

Marilyn was preceded in death by her parents and a sister, Joy Jones.

A celebration of life service will be held at Hodges-Kiser Funeral Home (9321 Cypress Lake Drive, Ft Myers, FL) on Thursday, April 28th where friends and family may gather from 4-6 p.m. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to F.I.S.H (Friends in Service Here) on Sanibel Island.

Marilyn’s family want to thank the nurses from American In Home Care who took such loving care of her over the past few years.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.kiserfh.com for the Helfers family.