Helen Lillie Julia Kolano Waite

Obituary Helen Lillie Julia Kolano Waite, 89 years old, passed away on January 13, 2007 in Tacoma, Washington. Born to Augusta and Ronimous Nix of Puyallup, Washington on May 16, 1917, Helen was raised in Puyallup on her family's farm on East Main Street near Linden Golf Course. The Nix family raised berries and rhubarb, keeping Helen, brothers Paul (Francis) Nix and Lawrence (Judy) Nix, and sister Lucille (Guy) Housh busy. Helen's brothers and brother-in-law have preceded her in death. Helen was very proud of her roots to the community and of her family's contributions. Her grandfather R. (Ronimous) Nix was one of the first settlers in the Puyallup Valley. Helen graduated from Puyallup High School in 1935, and enjoyed participating in the alumni activities and getting together with her classmates regularly. After graduating from Knapp Business College Helen worked at Fibreboard paper mill in Sumner, assisted on the farm, and concluded her secretarial career after many years serving Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Tacoma. Helen married John Kolano on November 9, 1946. Helen and John built a home in Tacoma where they raised their two sons, Larry (Cheryl) Kolano, of Longview and Gary (Claudia) Kolano, of Tacoma. Helen was widowed in April 1981. In June, 1983 she married widower Percy Waite. After Percy's death in 1997, Helen continued to enjoy a loving relationship with his daughters and their families. Helen loved to dance, sew, quilt, sing, and play the organ. SHE took great pride in her home and garden and was known for baking delicious pies and oatmeal cookies. As the years progressed and she was less able to do the work herself, Helen proved to be quite adept at supervising others. Helen also reveled in the communal celebration of her faith and was a devoted and active church member throughout her life. Helen 's devotion to family, her loving guidance, warm smile, and great sense of humor will be greatly missed by family and friends. Grandchildren Julia Kolano and John Kolano hold a special place in Helen's heart. Through the years Helen has also become a loving grandmother to Jamie Sanderson and daughters Yvonne and Haley, Ebonne Robinson and son Adrien, and Elecia Robinson. Helen's devotion to family, loving guidance, warm smile, and her great sense of humor.