Helen Irma Spardy Fazio

Helen Spardy Fazio was born to the late Vincent and Marietta Spardy in Pittsburgh, PA on June 23, 1922 and passed away on Tuesday, June 20, 2017. She was three days shy of her 95th birthday. Helen was married to the late Vincent Fazio and is survived by her daughters, Sandra Bertini (Albert) and Lynne Silkman (Richard); six grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren. Also, she was preceded in death by her sisters, Lena and Elizabeth Spardy. Helen graduated from Swissvale High School in 1939 and received a full scholarship to the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. Upon graduation, she was employed as a commercial artist and eventually became a graphic artist for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette newspaper. After her marriage to her sweetheart, “Jimmy,” she excitedly entered the world of Army officers’ wives and spent her life traveling around the world. Her love for art continued as she worked for photography studios wherever she lived, turning sepia portrait photos into oil portraits. When she found herself on the island of Okinawa, she turned to interior design and became an interior decorator for the Army, decorating guest quarters and other venues. She became an expert at Japanese doll making and took classes in the art of Japanese cooking. Helen’s art continues to adorn the homes of family and friends, as she loved to paint and would give her artwork as gifts. Helen loved her friends and family with a passion. Anyone she ever met became instant family to her, and she willingly shared her home and heart with everyone. She was a gourmet cook and belonged to a gourmet cooking club. Her family and friends were the lucky recipients of many exquisite meals and desserts. Her food creations will long be remembered for their lovely presentation as well as their delicious content! Her grandchildren loved to spend time with her in the summers, as she was always in the kitchen preparing fun and fancy meals. Also, she shared her love of art with them, attempting to conduct classes in the art of drawing flowers and teddy bears. Her constant smile, joyful attitude, and strong faith are all gifts she passed onto her family, along with her favorite expression of farewell, “I love you more.” Helen’s involvement in the Catholic Church included teaching CCD on Okinawa and being active in her retirement parish of St. Thomas More in Pittsburgh, PA. Upon arriving in Annandale, VA, she became a member of St. Ambrose Parish and loved her weekly visits from the priests and eucharistic ministers. The great cross Helen bore was the blindness she developed in her later years. As an artist, she had seen the world as her palate, yet she found herself void of all she loved to see and paint. People would ask her how she maintained a pleasant, uplifting, and gracious attitude through it all, and she always replied, “When you can’t look outward, you just look upward, and how beautiful that is!” Funeral arrangements by BEINHAUERS, 412-531-4000. Friends are welcome on Wednesday from 2-4 and 6-8 PM at 2630 West Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15216 where a Blessing Service will be held on Thursday at 10 AM. Interment will be in Mt. Lebanon Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the St. Ambrose Parish Building Fund, 3901 Woodburn Road, Annandale, VA 22003. Please add and view tributes at www.beinhauer.com.