Helen Kolas

Helen Kolas (nee Kipta), 92, of Munster, Indiana, passed away on April 19, 2014 in Indianapolis with her family at her side. She is survived by her loving children, Mary Lynn Saks, John Kolas, Mark (Johannah) Kolas, Bob (Nancy) Kolas, and Cecilia Kolas. She was the cherished grandmother of Steven, Steve (Jennifer), Brian, Janelle, Lauren, Michael and John, and a new great-grandmother to Jesse. She is preceded in death by her beloved husband, John, to whom she was married for 61 years, as well as her parents John and Celia Kipta, and brothers, John and Edward Kipta. Visitation will be on Thursday, May 1, 2014 from 4:00-8:00 pm with a 4:30 p.m. prayer service at Kish Funeral Home, 10000 Calumet Avenue, Munster, Indiana and on Friday May 2nd at St. Thomas More Church, 8501 Calumet Avenue, Munster, Indiana from 9:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated on Friday, May 2, 2014 at the church beginning at 10:00 a.m.

Helen was born in Biely Potok, Slovakia and raised in East Chicago. She and her husband raised their family in Munster where Helen was an active parishioner at St. Thomas More for over 50 years. At age 50, she started her career in real estate and practiced successfully for over 30 years. She won many sales awards; was a past president of the East Chicago Board of Realtors® and a former Director of the Indiana Association of Realtors®. She was also a member of the Greater Northwest Indiana Association of Realtors®. Helen served on several Realtor committees and most important to her was her service on the Equal Opportunity Committee, on which she served on both the state and national level.

She was devoted to her family and had friends of all ages and backgrounds. She will be remembered for her kindness, generosity and optimism. She believed anything was possible and was a great source of pride and inspiration to her family who will miss her dearly. Her memory will be cherished forever. In lieu of flowers, contributions in her honor to Hooverwood, 7001 Hoover Road, Indianapolis, IN 46260 are requested. She spent her final days there, surrounded by a kind and loving staff who helped make even those days happy ones.