Helen Dumas Gioia

1950 - 2025

Helen Dumas Gioia, a former member of the Valparaiso school board, longtime middle-school history teacher, and active volunteer in Valparaiso civic organizations, passed away at her home in Valparaiso on Oct. 30 following a characteristically courageous struggle with brain cancer. She was 75 years old.

A dedicated wife, mother, and volunteer, she demonstrated a lifelong commitment to organizations that supported public education, civic involvement, and community development in Valparaiso and across Indiana. Helen volunteered countless hours at a wide variety of organizations during the 50 years she lived in Valparaiso. Notably, she represented the teachers of Valparaiso Community Schools at meetings of the Indiana State Teachers Association and she was a member of the Valparaiso Chapter of Tri Kappa, an Indiana philanthropic service sorority.

In addition to her community volunteer work, Helen served on the Valparaiso Community Schools Board of Education from 1993 - 2005. Thereafter she earned her teaching certificate in 2006 and taught U.S. history at Benjamin Franklin Middle School until 2020. Most recently, she served as an Adjunct Faculty member of Valparaiso University, where she supervised student teachers throughout northwest Indiana.

Born in 1950 in Rensselaer, Helen was the eldest of four children of Thomas B. and Eileen Dumas (née Bower). From a young age, she took an avid interest in politics and current affairs. At Rensselaer High School, she was a member of the debate team and writing and drama clubs and was editor of the school's yearbook. She was valedictorian of the class of 1968.

Later that year, Helen was one of only 25 women to be admitted to the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., from which she graduated in 1972. While in Washington, she worked for U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd, who was then the Democratic majority whip, and later for the American Council on Education.

In 1973, Helen married Daniel A. Gioia at St. Augustine Catholic Church in Rensselaer. They moved to Valparaiso in 1975, where they soon became active parishioners at St. Paul Catholic Church. Over the years, Helen served on numerous committees, taught religion (CCD), restructured the religious education programs for middle school students, and most recently served as a eucharistic minister.

Deeply involved in her children's extracurricular interests, Helen dedicated her time and considerable sewing skills to supporting their school activities. She was equally involved in their athletic endeavors, including football, baseball, and especially soccer. She and her husband were inducted into the Hoosier State Games Hall of Fame in 1996 for organizing soccer tournaments with record-setting participation in the 1990s.

A four-time cancer survivor prior to her last illness, Helen actively reached out to support others with cancer following her first diagnosis in 1991 and was featured on the Pink Ribbon Society calendar for breast cancer survivors in 2004.

She is survived by her husband Dan, an Of Counsel attorney with Burke Costanza & Carberry LLP in Valparaiso; a daughter, Martha Picarello (Anthony), Arlington, Va.; three sons, Thomas Gioia (Ashlyn), Atlanta, Ga., David Gioia (Stephanie), White Salmon, Wash., and Carl Gioia (Diana), Louisville, Ky.; 11 grandchildren; a brother, Edward Dumas (Anne), Westfield; and a sister, Ann Dumas-Swanson (Stevenson), Pelham, N.Y. A second brother, Charles, predeceased her.

Visitation will be from 2 - 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 10 at Moeller Funeral Home, 104 Roosevelt Road, Valparaiso.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 11 at St. Paul Catholic Church, 1855 Harrison Boulevard, Valparaiso.

Internment will be private.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Helen's memory to Cancer Research and Innovation at RUSH MD Anderson Cancer Center in Chicago or the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace, and Security.

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