Helen W. Dell

Helen Wilder Dell of Alexandria, Virginia entered eternal rest on December 31, 2020 at the age of 82. Helen was born to the late Leigh and Evelyn Wilder on July 22, 1938 in Lubec, Maine. At a young age Helen was taught and learned a life of Christian Faith. Helen exemplified these Christian values throughout her life. Upon graduation Helen began working at the Bangor Children’s Home where she supervised young boys. During this time, she met and married the love of her life, John J. Dell on May 17th, 1975 at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Bangor, Maine. They were happily married for 43 years until John’s death on February 26, 2019. After retiring from the Air Force they moved to Alexandria. This is where Helen became involved in Charity work including Loaves and Fishes in the Mt. Vernon area and later started Treats with Helen at the Mt. Vernon Nursing Home. Helen joined The Alexandria Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary and Women’s Home League doing various charity projects including overseeing the Angel Tree Program for a number of years. She served as President of the Women’s Auxiliary for two terms and made all the cakes to be used as a dessert for our Spaghetti Lunch/Dinner Fundraiser. Helen and John were big financial contributors to Salvation Army as well as many other charitable organizations. Helen and John both loved animals and adopted many rescue dogs over the years that were like family members to them. They served as members of the Board of Directors at Mt. Vernon Nursing Home. Helen and John enjoyed attending Dinner Theaters with friends and many, many cruises during their marriage. They enjoyed visiting their families in other parts of the country. Helen is survived by her sister, Donna Clark, and husband, Earl Clark, niece, Deanna Runeman, great nephew, Spencer Runeman, great niece, Sadie Runeman, cousin, Mary Lawless and a host of relatives and friends. The family expresses sincere appreciation to the Mount Vernon Nursing Home staff and the staff of Sunrise Senior Assisted Living Facility for their care of Helen during the last two years. A special thank you from the family to Majors Jim and Sue Shiels for allowing this celebration of life to be held at the Alexandria Salvation Army Corps. As an expression of sympathy, memorial donations may be made to the Alexandria Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary. Please join us in celebrating her life on Saturday, January 9, 2021 at 11:00am at The Alexandria Salvation Army Corps at 1804 Mt. Vernon Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22301. Messages of condolence are welcomed at www.demainefunerals.com