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Life story

" Mary Kathryn Helper was born in Charleston, WV, on May 27, 1970. Alan Ray Helper, Sr., and Mona Kay (Walton) Helper moved the family to Manassas in 1986, and Katy continued to live in and around the Northern Virginia area thereafter.

A talented actor and writer, Katy won awards in local competitions and accolades in newspaper reviews for her roles in local theatre. She also wrote three one-act plays, garnering more awards and acclaim. Her poetry is beautiful, and her short fiction placed highly almost every year in various flash fiction contests as well as winning awards from the West Virginia Writers Conference.

Katy preferred to work for companies that tried to make a difference in the world. She chose to spend the last half of her years of employment with American Public University System, where she received consistently high praise. Always grateful that her team acted like a work ‘family,’ they went above and beyond for her during the last couple of years.

On September 8, 2007, Katy married the love of her life, Matthew Dennis Jordan. They supported each other through the next 17 years in a marriage filled with love and laughter. They greatly enjoyed movies, together creating a YouTube channel to share their thoughts on many films, with hundreds of friends and strangers viewing and subscribing to these reviews.

Matt and Katy moved to Locust Grove in the winter of 2021, and Katy was diagnosed with metastatic cancer soon after. She fought as hard as she could for nearly 3 years, doing everything her doctors told her and remaining positive and full of humor throughout. Katy’s battle with cancer ended on Thursday, September 5, 2024. She took her last breaths at home with her beloved husband holding one hand and her baby sister holding the other.

Katy, you will forever be deeply missed.
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