Helena Irene Wiley

Helena Irene Wiley (Dobbs) (Edie) passed away in Lansing, Michigan on September 23, 2022 at the age of 72.

Born Jan. 9, 1950, Helena was the daughter of Dr. Dale Wiley, a veterinarian, and Irene Odgers Wiley and later was stepdaughter to Dr. James B. Rutledge Jr., also a veterinarian. She was preceded in death by her parents and her siblings Dale Andrew Wiley, Linda Louise Wiley, William Ross Wiley, two former husbands, Ruben M. Dobbs and Kurtis Wayne Edie and her sister-in-law, Kimberly Rutledge. She is survived by her son, Ruben Dobbs, daughter-in-law Alison Harbaugh, siblings Abbie Susan Yant and husband Larry Yant of San Francisco, Ca.; Joseph Nelson Wiley and wife Marilyn of Lansing, Mi.; James B. Rutledge III of Bel Air, Md. and Michael J. Rutledge and his partner David Laubach of Salisbury, Md. She is also survived by her stepdaughter Theresa Sanchez and nieces Casey Schulz and Sara Mastroianni, both of whom were taken care of by Helena in their high school years after she became their legal guardian. She is also survived by many other nieces and nephews, great nieces and nephews, aunts, uncles and cousins. All of these survivors will be charged with holding down the family fort here on earth.

Helena grew up in the Monkton/Jarrettsville Maryland area working in the small animal veterinary practice owned by her family and graduated from Hereford High School. She has been an eager participant and organizer of many high school reunions since graduating.

She attended Salisbury State College to pursue a teaching degree but figured out it was not the path for her and left before graduation. Her love of numbers lead her to a life of accounting and starting her own business catering to nonprofits in Florida, where she moved in 1994 after a long residency in Annapolis.

The pandemic caused Helena to leave West Palm Beach in 2020 and move to York, Pennsylvania, where she helped Wendy Woods, her friend and mother to her daughter-in-law recover from a stroke. In May of this year she went for an extended visit with her brother Joseph Wiley in Lansing, Michigan, where she saw the Grateful Dead one last time before she took her final rest.

Helena's greatest joys in life came in the form of keeping up with and visiting family and helping others. She truly lived a life of service and was a fine example to all who knew her. She didn't mind a good bingo session, either.

Helena took great comfort in and had a great love for music as well, so the family asks that in lieu of flowers, please make memorial donations to AM/FM, an organization dedicated to helping musicians in the Annapolis area stay safe from fiscal harm due to illness and industry volatility. Donations can be made at http://www.am-fm.org/donate.

Services for Helena will be held at Bethel Church, 4135 Norrisville Road, White Hall, Maryland, on October 29 at 11 a.m. followed by a celebration of life at 1:30 p.m. at American Legion Blue Room 125 York Road Towson Md. 21204 between Burke Avenue and Towsontowne Blvd. Side dish pot luck. Dishes can be heated on site: the mains will be catered.