Obituary of Helen McVay

IN LOVING MEMORY OF HELEN McVAY Helen Katherine (Wetter) McVay was born on the family farm near Norton, KS on August 10, 1931 to G. Henry Wetter and Margaret (Stroot) Wetter and went into the loving arms of our Lord on February 8, 2016 in San Antonio, TX at the age of 84. She attended Highland District 35 Rural Grade School, and graduated from Norton High School with the class of 1949. Upon graduation she worked for Ben Franklin, before beginning her bookkeeping career with Boxler Insurance. She married the love of her life, Glenn Arthur McVay, at St. Francis of Assisi Church on April 30, 1955. To their blessed union, two children were born: Katherine Susan (McVay) Bergkamp and Kenneth Arthur McVay. Glenn and Helen farmed and raised cattle on a farm west of Norcatur until his death on December 3, 1971. As a farm wife, she was a true partner to Dad, preparing meals and eating with him in the field, driving tractors, driving trucks at harvest time, and helping with the cattle. She was Treasurer for Lincoln Township for several years. She bowled on Tuesday afternoons with several other farm wives for a number of years, and once bowled a perfect game. After Glenn's passing, Helen worked for Halliburton in Oberlin for several years, and then became the bookkeeper at the MGM and later Norcatur Grain Elevator in Norcatur until her retirement. She loved accounting, and delighted in balancing to the exact penny or bushel of wheat! She was an active member of the Three Prairie Unit, the St. Francis Altar Society, was a Eucharistic Minister and was a member, and later auxiliary member, of the Legion of Mary. She helped teach CCD classes and helped lead several mission study sessions. She regularly helped on the voting board, and was a faithful blood donor. After retirement, she enjoyed meeting with friends for road trips to Kearney or McCook, weekly card games, coffee and birthday lunch gatherings, and of course, those infamous trips to Pizza Hut for breadsticks after Saturday night mass. Helen moved off the farm and into Norton to escape the muddy roads in 1982, later into Whispering Pines where she enjoyed several years in the company of many fellow Norcaturites, and then on to San Antonio, TX to be near her daughter. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, her parent-in-laws Griffa and Alta McVay, and her sister-in-law and brother-in-law Bonnie and Malcolm Henderson. She is survived by her daughter Kathy (Dennis) of San Antonio, TX and her son, Ken, of Wamego, KS, her brother John Wetter (Verena) of Norton, KS, three grandsons, Maximilian William Bergkamp, Benjamin Arthur Bergkamp and Connor Arthur McVay, beloved nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews, dear cousins and many other precious relatives and friends. Visitation will be Monday, February 15, 2016 from 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. at Enfield Funeral Home in Norton, KS. A Rosary service will follow at 7:00 p.m. at Enfield Funeral Home. Mass of the Resurrection will be held at 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, February 16, 2016 at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Norton, KS. A luncheon for all family and friends will be served by the St. Francis Altar Society at the Parish Hall immediately following the mass. Concluding Services and Interment will follow the luncheon at the Norcatur Cemetery just outside Norcatur, KS. Memorials may be made to the St. Francis of Assisi Altar Society to be used for the kitchen remodeling in the Parish Center.