Helen Virginia Vallas Fundom
Born on September 6, 1920 in International Falls, MinnesotaDeparted October 10, 2022 in Gray, Georgia
Helen Virginia Vallas Fundom, age 102, passed away from natural causes at Autumn Lane Care Facility in Gray, Georgia on October 10, 2022. She had relocated to Georgia from Melbourne, Florida in 2017 to be near her son, Max.
Helen was born in International Falls, Minnesota on September 6, 1920, and lived much of her childhood in rural North Dakota. Her family relocated to White Bear Lake, Minnesota, where she graduated from high school. After graduation she lived with her aunt in Chicago and worked alongside her at the telephone company. She loved to dance and for a time travelled with a dance troupe throughout the mid-west. In 1940, Helen met her husband-to- be, Max, at a dance on Navy Pier in Chicago, as he was attending a US Navy training camp. After marriage, they were stationed in Sanford, Florida. Helen was a long-standing member of the First United Methodist Church of Melbourne, Florida where she taught kindergarten for 25 years at the church school. She also volunteered in the church office and sang in the choir. In their retirement years, Helen and Max loved to travel. Together, with her brother and his wife, they made an extended camping trip to Alaska. In addition to travelling the USA from coast to coast, she visited Jerusalem, Israel and worked on church mission trips in the Dominican Republic. She was an active member of the community, P.E.O., Beta Sigma Phi sorority, and the Red Hat Society. She enjoyed flower arranging, ceramics, tending the flowers in her yard, and walking the beaches near her home, looking for seashells. Helen loved to invite her Minnesota relatives to visit her adopted state of Florida. 
Helen is survived by her son Max Fundom ll (Kathryn Aultman) of Sparta, Georgia, and her brother La Verne Steffens of Faribault, Minnesota. In addition to her husband Orson Max Fundom, Sr., she was preceded in death by her parents Gust Vallas and Mathilda V. Vallas Cafarilla Steffens, and siblings Robert Cafarilla, La Vonne Steffens Alford, and Jo Rome Steffens.
Family and friends will have a celebration of her life at the First Church Melbourne, 110 E New Haven Avenue, Melbourne, Florida at a later date. Helen will be laid to rest at the Melbourne Cemetery with her late husband. Memories and condolence messages may be sent to the family at www.brownIiemaxwell.com. If you wish please contribute to the charity of your choice in memory of Helen Fundom.
