Helen Irene Ward Dilley, 87, passed away on May 20, 2020 in Federal Way, Washington.
Helen was born in Monroe, Washington, Oct 24, 1932. She graduated from Mt Baker High School in Deming, WA in 1950, and studied Pharmacy at the University of Washington, where she met and married Donald Lloyd Dilley. She and Don loved to travel and Don’s position as an engineer at Sperry sent them to Paris, France as a young couple with a baby. Later, Boeing presented opportunities to live in Florida and Texas. They always returned to Federal Way which had become their “home base.”
Helen was an extraordinary mother of eight children – three sets of twins among them. She encouraged the development of her children’s talents and impressed upon them the importance of education. After her children were in school, she volunteered in the Federal Way School District, worked for the City of Kent Police as a dispatcher, and worked as a secretary in various places; her favorite being the Nuclear Medicine Department at the University of Washington. Helen enjoyed reading and increasing her own talents, as well as
knitting, crocheting, and genealogy. She was creative and found ways to continue her pursuits even after slowly losing her sight from macular degeneration.
Helen is survived by her children, Sheryl (Dilley) Mackey of Kent, WA, Kitty (Dilley) Carpenter of Richland, WA, Donald Floyd Dilley and Cindy (Pinkerton) of Port Orchard, WA, Richard Lloyd Dilley of Grays Harbor, WA and Benjamin Ward Dilley and Shannon (Miller) of Marysville WA, as well as her sister Dee Anne Williams of Lake Stevens. She had 24 grandchildren, 39 great-grandchildren and 3 great-great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her Mother, Coda Irene (Byrd) Ward and father, Floyd Harold Ward, her sister Sharon Ward; as well as her husband, Donald Lloyd Dilley, son- in-law John Wayne Mackey, son John Lee Dilley, daughter Jeri Lynne (Dilley) Hancock, son Barry Robert Dilley and granddaughter Rebecka Fern Dilley.
She was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and had a profound love for her Savior, Jesus Christ. She is greatly missed by her friends and extensive family.
