Helen DeWitt Obituary

DeWitt, Helen

Helen R. DeWitt, of Oak Brook IL, passed away peacefully on March 16, 2025.

Helen was born in Chicago to Leonor E. (Siemon) and Gerald Roy Rossman in 1921. Following graduation from Lyons Township High School, she met and married Robert B. DeWitt (1918-1994). They were devoted to each other and worked side-by-side throughout their 53-year marriage, beginning with their wartime assignments in Illinois and New Mexico.

During World War II, the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was created to centralize various civilian and military intelligence services. Of the 13,000 personnel that gathered and decoded information, provided analysis, and engaged in counterintelligence, more than 4,000 were women. Between 1943 and 1945, Helen worked for General William "Wild Bill" Donovan as a civilian employee of the organization that was the precursor to the CIA.

Helen was a very proud resident of Oak Brook. She and Bob moved there after the War and quite literally built their first home themselves. She started working at the Oak Brook Center Mall as the Director of Public Relations when it was first built in 1962. Paul Butler had planned the development of the Village of Oak Brook, and Helen dedicated herself to enhancing his vision. She organized weekly summer concerts, as well as juried art & crafts shows, and classic car shows. Oak Brook Center Mall has consistently been a major part of the successful development of the entire community.

Helen and her family loved participating in that community development. They helped with the organization of the Oak Brook volunteer fire department, she delivered mail, and there are stories of her becoming the first 'honorary' female police officer because, in an era when the profession was largely dominated by men, there were times when a woman was needed on a case.

Her family and her amazing career meant everything to Helen. She was loving, supportive, and generous to all, but Helen was also a force to be reckoned with. Throughout the 1970s and well into the 90s, she rose to become a very successful executive in commercial real estate and mall development. Stories were told of her standing her ground in the boardroom over issues about which she was passionate. She went on to be involved with the development of Water Tower Place in Chicago, then onto Copley Plaza in Boston, and many other malls and shopping centers throughout the area and the country.

Above all, she loved seeing Oak Brook Center thrive. She especially enjoyed overseeing the holiday decorations at the mall. Holiday decorations became a deeply loved tradition in her home with family. Year after year, her home always included a beautiful Christmas tree that she maintained well beyond the New Year...she just did not want to take it down.

Taking her leave well into the 104th year of her full and amazing life, Helen Grace (Rossman) DeWitt was the much beloved wife of the late Robert B. DeWitt; loving mother of Barbara (Bill) Van Horne, R. Stephen (Mary Ann) DeWitt, and Mary Therese DeWitt; devoted grandmother of Michele (Chris) Dieckmann, Brooke DeWitt, Angel (Nick) Oltman, and the late Scott Van Horne; cherished great-grandmother of Florence and Maren Dieckmann, and the late Lucas Van Horne.

Helen was a loyal friend, role model, and beloved mother and grandmother. She inspired family, friends, and colleagues to always go the extra mile for themselves and for the sake of others.

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