BENTONVILLE - Helen L. Eakins, 97, of Bentonville passed away Tuesday, May 6, 2014 at Glen Oaks Health Campus in New Castle, Indiana. Helen was born in Rush County, Indiana on February 11, 1917 to Tom and Nelle (Tirtle) Merritt. She attended Bentonville School and was a graduate of Raleigh High School. On July 25, 1936 she married Russell W. Eakins in Rush County, Indiana. He preceded her in death on March 25, 2006. Helen has made rural Bentonville her home since 1940 and retired from Bentonville State Bank where she worked as a bookkeeper. She was a member of the Bentonville Fire Department Auxillary, the Posey Township Home Ec Club and the Plum Creek Christian Church. Helen attended Bentonville Chistian Church where she served as a Sunday School Teacher and Sunday School Superintendent. Helen enjoyed being a homemaker, gardening, sewing and spending time with her family. Survivors include her children, Jon (Kay) Eakins of Bentonville, David (Carolyn) Eakins of Connersville, Jim (Shirley) Eakins of Tuscon, Arizona; thirteen grandchildren; several great-grandchildren; sister, Ruthelaine Bradfield of Rushville; several nieces and nephews. Helen was also preceded in death by a sister, Dorothy Hall and a brother, Earl Merritt. Funeral services will be at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 10, 2014 at Marshall & Erlewein Funeral Home, Dublin. Don Miller and Gordon Mehaffey will officiate. Burial will follow at Bentonville Cemetery. Visitation will be from 4:00 - 8:00 p.m. on Friday, May 9, 2014 at the funeral home. Memorial contributions can be made to the Bentoville Fire Department, PO Box 37, Bentonville, IN 47322 or the Bentonville Christian Church, PO Box 22, Bentonville, IN 47322.