Helen Antoinette Olshefski

Helen Antoinette Olshefski passed away peacefully on September 20, 2026, having recently turned 103 years old. She was born in Newark, New Jersey, and will be remembered as a daughter, wife, mom, Ga, sister, aunt, great-aunt, and Mrs. O.

She graduated from Central High School in Newark, NJ, in 1941. During World War II, she worked at the RCA factory putting together radio tubes and later worked as a secretary for Flood & Conklin, a manufacturing company. During this time, she would travel to New York City for shows, go to Yankees games, and take the train to Coney Island. She was in New York’s Times Square on VE Day! She was also an independent woman and bought her first car, a turquoise and white Chrysler, before she even knew how to drive.

In the late 1940s, she met Norbert Olshefski, the brother of a co-worker and neighbor on Lincoln Terrace. Years later, they reconnected and, after a few dates, were married in 1955, just before Norb was shipped off to Germany with the Army. She joined him a few months later, then moved with his job as a newspaperman and photographer to Massena, NY; Syracuse, NY; and Hokendauqua, PA, before settling in Bowie, MD, in 1966.

Helen and Norb were blessed with four children, and she stayed at home to raise them, becoming involved in their school and after-school activities, from Scouting to music lessons, band concerts, and field trips. Helen returned to work in the mid-1970s at the Anne Arundel County Board of Education until her retirement in 1987.

Helen had many interests and hobbies, including oil painting, reading, crossword puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, Scrabble, bridge, cooking, knitting (stuffed animals for her granddaughter, Christmas poinsettias, and baby sweaters), and big band music, especially Frank Sinatra. She had a strong faith and was a parishioner and Sodality member at St. Pius X until moving to senior living, where she continued to watch Mass on TV every Sunday and pray the rosary.

Although not an athlete herself, she was a devoted baseball fan of the Yankees and the Orioles, then the Nationals when they came to DC. She was thrilled when the Nats won the World Series, although she was never happy with the bullpen after that season. During the Joe Gibbs years of the Redskins (now Commanders), Helen and Norb were season ticket holders at the old RFK Stadium and did their part to make the stands shake! She also loved ice hockey and would Rock the Red for the Caps.

Helen loved to travel with family and friends. Some special trips included the annual two-week spring break trip to visit relatives in Charleston, SC, and then continue on to the Florida Keys, as well as a three-week family camping trip to Colorado in 1970 with a U-Haul and a tent. She and Norb took several cruises with family friends Ron and Erika Kile, and into her 70s and 80s, she was still traveling with her daughters to Paris, Italy, and on cruises to Bermuda and Alaska. She was able to visit Poland twice and connect with long-lost family in Czeladz, Poland, whom her daughters located in 1990 after the fall of the Berlin Wall. One of her most special memories was introducing her first cousin, Halina, to her Aunt Janina (Helen’s mom) when Halina traveled from her small town to visit them in America.

Helen lived a long, full life and will be remembered fondly for her love of her family, friends, dachshunds, food, and sports. Every year, you could count on her keeping family traditions alive, including the Polish Wigilia on Christmas Eve and the “Crisco” birthday cake. We will miss those moments with her but will continue those traditions that are so deeply engraved in our lives.

She is survived by her daughters, Elaine (David Wilkinson), Tish, and Cee; her granddaughter, Janine; nieces and nephews Joyce, Bev, Mary Alice, Terry, Eugene/Butch, Cheryl, and Michael; six great-nieces and nephews; and 10 great-great-nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 37 years, Norbert; her son, Steven; her mother, Janina; her father, Alexander; her brother, Eugene; her sister-in-law, Kay; her sister-in-law, Josephine, and her husband, John; and her sister-in-law, Dorothy.

A Funeral Mass will be held on Saturday, November 7, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. at St. Pius X Catholic Church, 14720 Annapolis Road, Bowie, MD, with a repast immediately following at Café Pius next door. A private family burial will take place at a later date in Glen Lyon, PA.

Helen loved to read, and when she lost her vision, she listened to audiobooks. To honor this passion, in lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Helen’s name to First Book, a nonprofit organization that provides books and educational resources to children in low-income communities.