AMHERST, MA: Maria “Helen” Salvador passed away peacefully surrounded by her loving family on February 28, after a short illness.  

Maria Helena Molina Celes was born Bogota, Colombia in 1930, immigrated to New York City at age 16, and became a naturalized US citizen on September 6, 1966.  She worked tirelessly to improve herself, completing training to become a hairdresser and learning the English language.  She loved living in NYC.    

Helen married John Salvador in 1964, and they lived in Queens for a few years until they moved out to Port Jefferson Station on Long Island.  When raising their two children, she advocated to ensure they had every opportunity to succeed and instilled the importance of education.  She insisted on music lessons, reading and doing well in school.  The beach was a special place to her, taking her kids to swim lessons every day in the summers and on weekend family trips.  She was a role model, even attending English classes at a local college and starting tennis lessons in her 50’s.  

One of Helen’s gifts was being a great friend.  She went to dinners and shows in NYC with other young women from Colombia, she and John hosted frequent weekend barbecues for many years, and she had several women that she spoke with on the phone almost every day for decades.  She was always ready to help a friend – to watch their child, drive them to an appointment, or navigate a government process.  Her friend groups included the crowd of Colombian families, Portuguese families, and neighbors.  She cherished traditional gatherings like the Leon’s Christmas party and picnics at the state park.  

Helen was a beautiful person inside and out.  She was a strong woman who stood up for what she believed in for herself, her family, her friends, and strangers. She made other people feel important and demonstrated unconditional love. She taught others so much about life, by the way she lived and her funny and important stories.  She laughed easily and made us laugh often.  Her faith was important to her, she was a practicing Catholic for her entire life.  

Helen’s pride and joy was her family.  She told everyone about the accomplishments of her family, especially her grandchildren.  She loved times when everyone could be together on a cruise, in San Diego and at graduation celebrations. 

Helen and John moved to Texas in 2011 to be near their daughter Sue’s family.  There they enjoyed the grandkids’ school and church activities.   They moved to Amherst three years ago, spending every minute she could with her son Doug’s family.  She was happy to get back to New York to see old friends, go to a Broadway show and shop in Manhattan.  She attended her grandchildren’s sports and school activities.  She lived her life independently with John and was vibrant up until the short illness in her final days.   

Helen is survived by her husband John; daughter Sue and her husband Tom, grandchildren Jimmy (wife Sophia) and Valerie; her son Doug and his wife Erin, grandchildren Ingrid and Cole.  

A funeral mass will be held on Monday, March 4 at 10am at St. Brigid’s Catholic Church, 122 N. Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA.

In lieu of flowers and to honor Helen’s advocacy of women and those in need, a donation may be made in her name to the Center for the Women of New York, https://cwny.org,  or Amherst Survival Center, https://amherstsurvival.org/.  

Memorial guestbook at www.douglassfuneral.com