Mary Helen Andrade

Maria Elena Andrade, known as Helen to many, passed away peacefully on July 15, 2025, in Clovis, California, at the age of 88. Born on September 12, 1936, in Clovis, she remained deeply rooted in her faith that shaped and sustained her throughout her life.

Helen was a devoted member of Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church and the Marian Devotees, where she took joy in sharing her unwavering devotion to Christ our Lord with all those around her. She worked for many years with Fresno Unified School District, serving as a paraeducator in special education classrooms and volunteering in youth liturgy in the Fresno Diocese. She was a foster mother to many children, an experience she said she felt called to after having lived in foster homes as a child in Fresno County.

Family and faith were the center of Helen’s world. She said her greatest pleasure came from creating a loving, stable, and faith-filled home for her four daughters and late-husband, Louis Andrade. It was exactly this love that nurtured her nieces and nephews, her grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, who lovingly referred to her as “Aunt Helen” or “Nana”. She took immense pride in her ability to create a home for others and passed on the importance of the things she held most dear to each new generation. She encouraged her family to cherish one another and those that came before them, give back to others, and nurture their faith in God.

Helen loved traveling, visiting places near and far with friends and family, and created many treasured memories in each place she ventured. Dancing was another joy in her life, and how she met her husband Louie. After his passing she never remarried, having stated that she already had her love, and there could be no one else.

Helen’s greatest gift was the love she shared and her deep devotion to God. She was effortlessly funny, and kind, but with a fierce love that wrapped her family in her arms, and that will carry them through their own lifetimes. She knew heartache and loss, intimately–and still managed to laugh with her whole body, the kind of laugh that reached the sky.

Helen is survived by her four daughters and son inlaws Elizabeth & Robert, Angela, Jennifer, and Mary Margaret & John; her ten grandchildren and their spouses Monica, Natalie, David & Angela, Miranda & Kareem, John Paul & Robyn, Alex, Alana, Gabrielle, Selena & Brendan, and Noelle; and her nine great-grand children Andrew, Miriam, Louise, Ruby, Rhynne, Isaiah, Isabella, Emilia, and Mireya Elena; as well as many nieces, nephews, extended family members, and dear friends who will miss her deeply. She is reunited in rest with her husband Louis Andrade, and her beloved brothers and sister.

The family extends their deepest gratitude to the Marian Devotees, the community of Our Lady of Victory, her cherished extended family, her neighbors and friends, the doctors and nurses at Clovis Community Hospital, and all who cared for and supported Helen in her final days. Your love gave her strength and comfort.

The Recitation of the Holy Rosary is scheduled for at Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church, 2838 N West Ave, Fresno, CA 93705 on Friday, August 22, 2025 @ 9:30 AM.

The Mass of Christian Burial is scheduled for Friday, August 22, 2025, at 10:00 AM at Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church, 2838 N West Ave, Fresno, CA 93705. This will be followed by a Graveside Service at St. Peter's Catholic Cemetery, 264 N Blythe Ave, Fresno, CA 93706

Mary Helen will be deeply missed by all who knew her. Her memory will live on in the hearts of her family, friends, and everyone who had the privilege of sharing in her life.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that donations be made to St. Vincent de Paul or Poverello House in honor of Maria Elena (Helen) Andrade.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.whitehurstsullivan.com for the Andrade family.