Helen F. Sedrel Lived Life of Service in Rock Island Community

Helen Louise Finch Sedrel of Rock Island died Sunday, September 21, at age 98. A Memorial service will be held at 11 AM, Saturday October 25, at South Park Presbyterian Church, Rock Island. Visitation will be from 9:30am until the service begins at the church. Born near Knoxville, Iowa, on August 4, 1916, Helen was the daughter of Rev. B.H. and Hazel Spaur Finch. She married Harold Sedrel just before her 25th birthday in Mingo, Iowa, with her father officiating the ceremony. The Sedrels initially settled in Washington, D.C., where Harold and Helen raised their first three children, before making Rock Island their permanent home, where their fourth child was born.
For decades, Helen and Harold were actively involved in South Park Presbyterian Church in Rock Island. Helen served as a Sunday school teacher and deaconess. She was also a charter member and past president of Chapter JI PEO Sisterhood. Following Harold’s death in 1992, Helen remained in the family home for nearly a decade, continuing her active community involvement. She played in the church handbell choir, taught within the church’s after-school program, and frequently chauffeured neighbors for their errands and appointments. Helen was known for welcoming neighbor children into her home and acting as a surrogate grandmother to many.
As Helen’s eyesight declined around the year 2001, she moved to Friendship Manor in Rock Island. Her health necessitated a transfer to the facility’s Silver Cross Pavilion last December. Helen is survived by her sister, Barbara DeReus of Owatonna, Minnesota, and her children and their spouses: Wesley Dean Sedrel (Edith Barnard), Dr. Nancy Marie Sedrel, Steve Noble, and Rick Sedrel (Deb). Her surviving grandchildren include Elizabeth Keest Sedrel, Andrew Sedrel, Cassie Noble Beyer, Jon Noble, Christina Sedrel DeJong, and Jeffrey Sedrel. Two great-grandchildren, Darrel Sedrel and Mara Lynn Sedrel, also survive her.
In addition to her husband, Helen was preceded in death by her parents; two brothers, Thomas Dean Finch and Charles Donald Finch; brother-in-law Harold DeReus; sister-in-law Irene Boyer Finch; daughter Jane Sedrel Noble; and daughter-in-law Marilyn Keest Sedrel. Though her memory faltered in her final months, her faith remained strong until the end.

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