Obituary of Laurilyn D. Helmers

Laurilyn D. "Lauri" Helmers, 59, of Coralville passed away Saturday, February 6, 2016 under the compassionate care of Mercy Hospice in Iowa City. Funeral services will be 5:30 pm, Saturday, February 13th at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church where a time of visitation will be held from 3:30-5:30 and again following the service. In lieu of flowers, memorials in Lauri's name may be directed to Iowa City Hospice or Mercy Hospital Hospice. Laurilyn Dee Helmers was born June 4, 1956, in Sibley, Iowa; daughter of Lawrence and Sheryl (Blumeyer) Helmers. She attended South Dakota State where she earned her BS in Pharmacy. She worked as a pharmacist for a number of years before deciding to return to school and pursue her desire to help others as physician. She attended medical school at the University of Iowa's College of Medicine where she earned her MD. On April 5, 1997, she was united in marriage to Kirk Manske at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Iowa City. They have resided in Coralville ever since, with the exception of six years spent in Seattle. Currently Lauri was working at the University of Iowa Hospitals as a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Anesthesia, specializing in pediatrics. When not working, she and Kirk loved to travel together, whether around the country or to different parts of the world. Lauri completed one of her travel goals in 2013 which was to visit and get her photo taken at every US state capital. Her family includes her husband, Kirk; father, Lawrence Helmers and his wife, Jeanne of Ashton, Iowa; brothers, Tim of Sibley, Iowa, Todd and his wife, Linda of Spirit Lake, Iowa and Thomas and his wife, Carrie of Parker, Colorado, as well as numerous extended family members. She was preceded in death by her mother, Sheryl, in 2003. Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service is caring for Lauri's family and her services.