Helen Fontana Colevas, cherished Aunt, Mother, and Nana, passed away peacefully at her home in Dunkirk, Maryland surrounded by family on March 2, 2025, after suffering a stroke on February 19, 2025.

Born in 1932 at her beloved childhood home on 1305 Trinidad Ave NE, Washington, D.C., Helen delighted in telling the stories of her youth growing up in a large Italian American family with roots in Napoli. These memories included Sundays at the Italian church, trips in their Ford with rumble seat to Glen Echo, Chesapeake Beach, and the sights in Washington D.C. She delighted in walking the 3 miles to and from her father's tailor shop to bring him lunch and using her red flyer wagon to go to the Italian grocery for her mother. She loved eating the figs from the tree in the backyard, playing piano tunes for her mother, and was the only child of eight who got up early enough to sit with her parents as they drank demitasse coffee and chatted in Italian. She spoke repeatedly of the love and dedication of her parents, Elena LeDonne and Umberto Fontana, for family and for their home in America, and being forever proud to fly the American flag on every patriotic holiday.

Helen was the fifth born in a family of eight, four boys and four girls. She is survived by one sibling, Marie Christina Corvelli, 96 years old. She was preceded in death by the remainder of her siblings: Emanuele Fontana, Michael Fontana, Anna Cassady, Humbert Jr. Fontana, Gloria Keller, and Eddie Fontana. Helen is also survived by her two children Andrew Vasili Colevas (Yasmeen), Andrea Helen Colevas, and three grandchildren, Anastasia LeDonne Brown (Daniel), Christian Alexander Brown, Eleni Margaret Colevas McGrath (Casey), and great grandchild Luke Samuel Walker as well as many nieces and nephews.

Helen attended Eastern High School where she was an honor student with perfect attendance. She loved drama, choir, theatre and especially piano club. She was a very enthusiastic cheerleader adding, "sparkle to the cheerleading squad!"

Helen graduated from Eastern High in 1950 and soon got a job with the Central Intelligence Agency. With the CIA, she traveled to Japan to serve the U.S. government overseas alongside her brother Emanuele (Manny). After a few years in Japan, she returned to the D.C. metropolitan area where she met and married Vaseleos "Billie" Colevas in 1958 at Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral. She was a dedicated homemaker and mother to her two children and involved in every aspect of their lives. She absolutely loved cheering for all the Washington sports teams and attended multiple Redskin Super Bowls. In the 1980s, she moved to Marco Island for three years and returned to Maryland when her first grandchild was born in 1989. Without a doubt she was a second mother to her grandchildren and is adored by them. She loved making her mom's Italian dishes, cheesecakes, and biscotti for neighbors and just about everyone else, even delivering her goodies to the Post Office and the library. Helen loved playing her baby grand piano and was always singing old songs and Christmas carols for her grandchildren and family. She was ever present at her granddaughters' school, Calverton, often as a guest speaker relaying her family history. She could often be found drinking a venti caramel latte and eating coffee cake from Starbucks, doing a crossword puzzle, and reciting her original poem "To Thee I Plight My Troth" written in 1952 to," anyone that would listen." Many years later her poem won an award from the Chesapeake /North Beach Senior Center. She resided in Calvert Estates for 35 years in a home which her son had built for her. She cherished her home and was surrounded by loving neighbors.

Contributions in her memory can be made to The Autism Project (TAP), P.O. Box 1518, North Beach, MD 20714. Helen's grandson Christian has autism. TAP and its founder have been an important part of her family's life for over 30 years. The work they do, and their dedication to the clients they serve is so needed and appreciated.

The family will receive friends at Lee Funeral Home Calvert, 8200 Jennifer Lane, Owings, MD 20736 on Sunday, March 9, 2025 from 2:00 – 4:00 pm & 6:00 – 8:00 pm where Funeral Service will be held on Monday, March 10, 2025 at 11:00 am in the Funeral Home Chapel. Interment will follow at Southern Memorial Gardens Cemetery 10155 Ward Road, Dunkirk, MD 20754.