Helen Sauper

Helen Sauper of Naperville Memorial visitation for Helen Sauper, 85, will be from 9:30 a.m. until time of the memorial service at 11 a.m. Saturday, at the Wesley United Methodist Church, 21 E. Franklin, Naperville. Interment is private. Born Nov. 6, 1920, in Sioux City, Iowa, she died Saturday, July 29, 2006. Helen graduated from Central High School in Sioux City in 1940. After graduation she moved to Chicago and worked for Employers' Mutual Insurance Company, Burroughs Adding Machine Company and the Meinhardt Diamond Tool Company. In 1948, she moved to Naperville. Mrs. Sauper was an employee of the Naperville National Bank from 1954-1967, where she was head of the bookkeeping and proof departments and later became the director of advertising and public relations. She was a graduate of the Financial Public Relations School of Chicago. In 1967, she obtained her real estate broker's license and joined the real estate firm of Rich Port, Realtor until 1982, when she joined Re/Max, retiring in 1989. Over the years of selling real estate, Mrs. Sauper received many high honors for sales and listings, including membership in the Million Dollar Club. Mrs. Sauper was the first woman to serve as president of the Naperville Chamber of Commerce. She was a member of the original committee for the Labor Day Last Fling. She served on many boards including Little Friends Inc., Wayside Cross Rescue Mission, Lifesprings Ministries, Naperville Chamber of Commerce, the YMCA, Grace United Methodist Church Administrative Board and the Naperville Cemetery Association Board. Mrs. Sauper was a member of the North Central College Executive Committee for fund raising and was on the City of Naperville Historic Sites Committee. She volunteered at Edward Hospital and was a member of the Naperville Woman's Club. Mrs. Sauper helped organize and was president of the Naperville Charter Chapter of the American Business Women's Association and was named Woman of the Year in 1970 by that chapter. She assisted in organizing the Naperville Diamond Chapter of the ABWA and was named Woman of the Year of the Year in 1984 by that chapter. The Diamond Chapter merged with Aurora members to form a new chapter, Diamond City of Lights Chapter where she served as historian. She received the Naperville Jaycees Distinguished Service Award in 1984 for the business category. Mrs. Sauper was a member of Wesley United Methodist Church, where she served on a number of committees and also taught kindergarten classes for 13 years. She is survived by her son, John "Jack" (Adell) Sauper of Naperville, and daughter, Rosemary (Charles) Kuder of Warner Robins, Ga; five grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, Sparhawk and Henrietta (nee Goodwin) Hutchins; and her husband, Ralph. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to Wayside Cross Ministries, 215 W. New York St., Aurora, IL 60505-3491 or Wesley United Methodist Church in Naperville. Arrangements were made by Beidelman-Kunsch Funeral Home, Naperville 630-355-0264.