Obituary of Helen Maxine Gookin

Helen Maxine (Keeney) Gookin January 14, 1921 - November 22, 2020 Helen Maxine Keeney was born to Alonzo (Lon) Keeney and Minnie Fay Shelton Keeney on January 14, 1921 at her Grandparents farm home near the township of Liberty, Iowa. When Helen was three weeks old the family moved to a farm near Chariton, Iowa where they lived until she was married. Helen met her future husband Jay L. Gookin when they were small children because their parents went to the same church. The Church of the Nazarene became a vital part of their lives throughout their lifetimes. Helen graduated from high school in Chariton, Iowa in 1938 with an elementary teaching certificate. She was one year too young to teach so she continued to work on the farm for another year. After that she taught school for two years in a one room country school house where she was the janitor, play-ground director, nurse and teacher of all 8 grades. She married Jay L. Gookin on October 5, 1943. They were married for over 55 years until his death in 1998. They both were examples of God’s love to everyone they met. After getting out of the Navy, they went back to Iowa, bought a home in Des Moines and lived there for a year before moving to Oregon in 1948. They attended the Oregon City Church of the Nazarene for over 50 years where Helen served as greeter, Sunday School Teacher, and church treasurer for over 40 years. She worked at West Linn Thriftway for 43 years as a bookkeeper and later as a cashier. Following her retirement, she and Jay made many trips in their RV with life-long friends from the church. In 2000 she moved to North Bend, Washington, followed by 10 years living on her own in Lakewood, Washington. In 2017, at the age of 96 she moved to Vancouver, Washington, where she lived with her daughter & husband until her death. Helen is survived by: Her children and their spouses: Ron & Marci Kearns and Larry & Linda McNaught Her 4 grandchildren: Troy Keanrs, Greg McNaught, Traci Nelson and Ken McNaught 10 great-grandchildren and 5 great-great-grandchildren as well as countless nieces, nephews and friends. Those who preceded her in death were her parents, Lon & Fay Keeney, her husband, Jay Gookin, and her siblings LaVon Keeney, Alice Biddle, Marguerite Bingham, Ken Keeney, and Keith Keeney. She was a member of Hillcrest Church of the Nazarene in Vancouver, Washington. She received two Distinguished Service Awards: One from the Oregon City Church of the Nazarene and one from Lakewood New Hope Community Church of the Nazarene. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to: Hillcrest Nazarene Church 14410 NW 21st Ave Vancouver, WA 98685 Note: Donations should be marked for Nicaragua Project