Helen Wall

Obituary Sr. Helen Wall, OP 1913 - 2008 Sr. Helen Wall, OP (Mary Consolata) died peacefully Thursday, March 27, at St. Joseph Residence in Seattle. Sr. Helen was born October 10, 1913 in Spokane, WA to Michael Wall and Agnes McEntee Wall. The family moved to Tacoma where Sr. Helen graduated from Aquinas Academy in 1932. That summer she entered the Dominican Sisters of Tacoma at Marymount. She made her final profession in January, 1937. Sr. Helen received her Bachelor's Degree from Central Washington State College (now University) and her Master's Degree from Seattle University. She loved to write and produced short stories and essays, and her book And Then There Were Nuns. In her later years she was a prolific letter writer, both personal correspondence and letters to legislators urging them to vote for peace and justice issues. She was among the first to demonstrate for the United Farm Workers, supporting the grape boycott. Sr. Helen taught for many years at Holy Rosary School in West Seattle. Other teaching assignments in WA included St. Mary's, Centralia and Aquinas Academy, Tacoma. In California, she taught at Garces Memorial High School, Bakersfield; St. Hyacinth Academy, San Jacinto; and St. Vincent's, San Diego. After retiring from the classroom, she served as librarian at St. Andrew's, Ellensburg; Holy Cross, Tacoma; and St. Patrick's, Tacoma. In 1978, she moved into active retirement and returned to San Diego. While living there, she continued her writing, was active in AA, and engaged in events that fostered peace and justice. She went yearly to Fort Benning, GA to participate in the actions to close the School of the Americas until her health weakened, and she made the decision to move to St. Joseph's Residence in Seattle. Sr. Helen is survived by her nieces Jackie Dupras of Seattle, Janice Cramer of Gig Harbor, Marcie Sherman of Seattle, and Jeanne Colby of Bainbridge Island, and niece-in-law Judy Burcar, and several grand nieces and nephews as well as members of her Tacoma Dominican Community of which she was a member for 75 years. Predeceasing her were her parents, her sisters, Kathryn Wright and Agnes Burcar, brother John Wall, niece Kathy Wright-Carrier, and nephew Larry Burcar. The Vigil Service will be Sunday, March 30, at 2:00 PM at St. Joseph Residence, Seattle. The Mass of Christian burial will be at St. Joseph Residence on Monday, March 31, at 11:00 AM. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery, Tacoma, on Monday, March 31, at 3:00 PM. Memorial donations may be made to the Dominican Sisters of Tacoma Retirement Fund, 935 Fawcett Ave. S., Tacoma, WA 98402. Please leave online condolences at www.GaffneyCares.com . Arrangements by Gaffney Funeral Home, 253-572-6003.