In Loving Memory of

Helen McFadyen

(Maiden: Bilinsky)
of Edmonton
Aug 26, 2020

It is with great sorrow that the family of Helen McFadyen announces her passing on Wednesday, Aug. 26, at age 88. She is survived by her husband of 59 years, Stuart; her daughters, Deborah Long (Jason) of Edmonton, Deidre McFadyen of New York City and Jacqueline McFadyen (Chi-Wen Ho) of Plainsboro, NJ; her grandchildren, Alexandra, Caitlin and Dylan Long, Eric and Elena Figueroa, and Naomi and Alexander Ho; and many nieces and nephews.

She is predeceased by her first husband, Tom Blind, a Navy pilot who died in a crash; her parents, George and Mary; all of her siblings; and her son-in-law Hector Figueroa.

Helen was born on a farm in Vista, Manitoba, at the nadir of the Great Depression. She was the youngest of 14 children of immigrant parents from Ukraine. She trained as a registered nurse in Winnipeg and set off on her own to work as a nurse in the United States. After marrying Stuart in 1961, they moved to California, where he attained his Ph.D. in economics at the University of California (Berkeley). They settled in Edmonton, where she raised her family. She continued to work part-time as a nurse, first at the General Hospital and later in the postpartum unit at the Grey Nuns, until her retirement in 1994.

Helen was devoted to her family and graciously extended her hospitality to a wide circle of friends and extended family. In the final decades of her life, she found joy in ballroom dancing, traveling the world by cruise ship with Stuart, and playing bridge and dominoes.

A memorial service will take place on the Faculty Club patio on Thursday, Sept. 3, at 2 p.m.

To watch the livestream of the service, please visit the following link: https://www.hdezwebcast.com/show/helen-mcfadyen?pass=59e4834dce069c8568e10c153d73ea75

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Helen's memory to the Terry Fox Foundation. Her family thanks the staff at the Cross Cancer Institute and the General Hospital Hospice for their compassionate care in her final weeks.