Helen Isabella Amendola

NATICK Helen died peacefully on Sunday, March 30, 2008, a little over 24 hours shy of her 96th birthday, at St. Patrick's Manor Nursing Home. She spent her last hours with her St. Patrick's friends and her family. Daughter of Anthony Amendola and Rosa Testa, she was predeceased by her brother, Robert Amendola and sister-in-law, Gerrie Lewis-Amendola. Helen was a devoted sister to Robert, sister-in-law to Gerrie, and loving aunt to their five children; Judy Amendola, of Cambridge, Charles Amendola, of Herndon, Va., Mimi Hayden, of Plymouth, Caroline Amendola, of Kailua, Hawaii, Susan Amendola, of Hopkinton; and her six great nieces and nephews, Jay, Lindsay and Matt Hayden, Tegan and James Henderson, and Chloe Thomas. Helen was born in Boston, April 1, 1912, and lived most of her life in Natick. An accomplished pianist herself, she grew up in a family of musicians and with an extended family of sculptors, fine needlework artists and other fine, decorative and applied artists. A graduate of Natick High School, she attended college for a bit, and then went on to work at St. Patrick's Church in Natick as the organist, was also a member of another local Choral Society, and taught piano in her home. She became a cytologist and enjoyed the camaraderie of the laboratory at Leonard Morse Hospital, Natick. Relatives and friends are invited to attend a funeral service at the John Everett & Sons Funeral Home 4 Park St., at Natick Common on Friday, April 4, at 11:30 a.m. (www.everettfuneral.com) 1 508-653-4342. For the immediate family and anyone who would like to join them, burial will follow the service at St. Patrick's Cemetery, 180 Pond St., Natick. Everyone else is invited to a reception immediately after the funeral service, just a three minute walk across the street at the Morse Institute Library, Lebowitz Meeting Hall, 14 E Central St., Natick 508-647-6520. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to your favorite charity. If you'd like some direction, the causes Helen donated to were the MSPCA (www.mspca.org) , Catholic charities (www.catholiccharitiesusa.org), and Maryknoll (www.maryknoll.org).