Helen I (Shinn) Beavin

Helen I. (Shinn) Beavin died on Thursday, January 20, 2022.  She is preceded in death by her husband, the Reverend Bartlett C. Beavin.  They moved to Morehead, KY in 2019 to be closer to family.

Helen was born April 5, 1937 in Rugby, North Dakota, the only child of Walden A. and Mary L. (Sheeks) Shinn.  She graduated from Bismarck High School (Bismarck, ND), and earned a Bachelor’s degree in English and a Masters of Library Science from the University of Wisconsin at Madison.

Helen and Bart were married for 61 years, until his death in 2020.  They enjoyed travelling, and their life together included trips to the Middle East, Europe, Canada, and across the United States.  She and Bart raised their family in Ann Arbor, MI and Naperville, IL.  Helen spent her professional career as a librarian in Madison, WI; Boston, MA; Ann Arbor, MI; and Naperville, IL.  She and Bart shared a commitment to their church communities and many social and civic causes, and they were avid collegiate sports fans-especially football.  Throughout her life, Helen was active in handbell choirs, and knitting groups and book clubs.

She retired in 2002 from the Naperville Public Library.  Retirement afforded Helen more time with family, especially her grandchildren.  It also allowed more time to pursue her love of music, books, knitting, and cats.  Helen and Bart returned to Ann Arbor, MI in 2007 to reunite with the community that had been their home in the 1960s and 70s.

Helen will be fondly remembered by many friends and family for her genuine interest in other people; she delighted in hearing others share their passions and pursuits.  She is survived by her two sons, Thomas (Tom) A. (SaraKatherine) Manning-Beavin of Morehead, KY and James (Jim) H. (Pam) Beavin of Glenview, IL and their children, Grace, Clay, Brent and Elyse. The family requests that memorial gifts be given to the handbell choirs at either Wesley United Methodist Church in Naperville, IL or First United Methodist Church of Ann Arbor, MI.  A memorial celebration will be held later in the year, in Ann Arbor, MI, when her ashes will be interred in First UMC’s Memorial Garden.

Wesley United Methodist Church

21 E. Franklin Avenue

Naperville, IL 60540

First United Methodist of Ann Arbor

120 S. State Street

Ann Arbor, MI 48104

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