Helen Tyson

Helen Tyson was born on April 3, 1948 at Alta Bates Hospital in Berkeley, CA. Her parents were Ann and Ray Wood of Richmond, CA. Her maternal grandparents were Anthony and Rita Kastelic, also of Richmond. The family moved to Napa when Helen was a year and a half old, so she always felt Napa was her home.

She attended Soda Canyon School for her elementary education. She was one of the first "First Graders" at the new larger school, built at 1000 Soda Canyon Road. Next came Silverado Junior High, then graduation from Napa Senior High School in 1966. She earned an AA at Napa College in 1969. Many years later, Helen enrolled at Napa College, and graduated with a 4.0 GPA from the two-year paralegal program. She worked in Napa as a legal secretary, court clerk in both Napa Justice Court and Napa Superior Court. She was a secretary, and later an Administrative Support Technician, in the Napa County Executive Office for 18 years. She also operated a payroll and bookkeeping service on her own from home for 20 years.

Helen married Ted Tyson, the love of her life, on April 14, 1984 in Yountville. they lived in Vallejo for the first 3 years of their marriage, then moved back to Napa in 1987.

During her lifetime, she enjoyed entertaining friends and family; baking; reading mystery novels and celebrity biographies; movies (particularly romantic-comedies and mysteries). She and husband, Ted, travelled extensively during their marriage: Europe, Jamaica, Mexico, Maui, New Orleans; east coast locations, New Mexico, etc..

She is survived by husband Ted Tyson; brother Edward Wood from Lake County; sister-in-law Lucille Coats of Vallejo.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Queen of the Valley Cancer Fund, P.O. Box 2069, Napa; or Collabria Care Hospice, 414 So. Jefferson Street, Napa.

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