Helen Moorman

Helen “Scotty” Moorman Helen Louise Moorman (née Dean), known to her friends and family as Scotty, was born December 5, 1940, in the Illinois Central Hospital in Hyde Park, Illinois. She died May 10, 2026, in Hyde Park, half a mile from where she was born. Scotty grew up in Riverside, Illinois before her parents moved the family to Edwardsville, Illinois, when she was 15 years old. She attended Riverside-Brookfield High School for two years before graduating from Edwardsville High School in 1958. She was married to George Edward Moorman from 1960-1983. She earned a B.A. in English from the University of Chicago in 1962. After settling in the St. Louis area, Scotty attended law school while wrangling two young children. She received a J.D. from the Washington University Law School in 1973 and later completed the coursework for a Master of Law at the London School of Economics. Scotty went on to have a distinguished career as a Legal Aid attorney and Public Defender, practicing in Illinois, Missouri, and Oregon. Her volunteerism included helping establish the Oasis Women’s Shelter in Alton, Illinois in 1976. Scotty was an intrepid traveler. In her lifetime she visited all 50 U.S. states and all seven continents, including Antarctica, often traveling solo. She didn’t slow down in retirement, moving back to Hyde Park and finding new ways to learn and grow. She spent 20 years with the volunteer ushering group the Saints, ushering for concerts and plays, serving on the bylaws, grants, and appeals commissions, and serving a term as president. She led tours of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Robie House, and she visited many of his homes throughout the country. She also completed the Basic Program at the University of Chicago, a rigorous course of study focused on the Great Books of the Western World. Scotty was predeceased by her parents George R. and Mary Louise Dean (née Dennison), siblings Martha, James, and Robert Dean, and her loving partner of many years Russ Carpenter. She is survived by siblings Mary (and Nixon) Pendergrass of Alton, Illinois, Margaret Dean (and Alvin Deibert), and George Dean II of Edwardsville, Illinois, children Rebecca and Michael Moorman of Anchorage, Alaska, nephews Rion and Phillip Pendergrass, and many friends and admirers. A celebration of Scotty’s life will be held in the summer of 2026 at Montgomery Place in Hyde Park. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the University of Chicago. Arrangements by Inclusive Funeral Care, 773-318-1305 or www.InclusiveFuneralCare.com.

Helen Moorman

December 5, 1940 - May 10, 2026