Christina N. Helwig, 74, of Williamsburg, VA passed away peacefully at her home with family by her side on December 5, 2020. Born Christina Howard Nolan on July 12, 1946 in New Castle, PA, “Tina” was the oldest child and only daughter of the late Lt. Charles Wallace Nolan and Katherine Howard Posey. Her father owned and operated Nolan’s, a ladies’ apparel store, and her mother was a homemaker with deep Southern Maryland ancestry. Raised in New Castle, Tina also spent summers and extended adventures with her grandmother “Meng” at The Maples, the family home in La Plata, MD built by her great grandfather, Senator Adrian Posey, in the late 19th century.
Following in her mother and godmother’s footsteps, Tina attended Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School where her lifelong passion for singing was born. That passion took her to New York City, where she attended Duchesne Residence School for two years, dancing the Charleston and bumping elbows with the likes of Bobby Darin and the Smothers Brothers. She celebrated her 21st birthday at the 21 Club and spent her junior year at Gonzaga University in Florence, Italy. Returning to New York from a year of whirlwind travels around Europe, Asia and Africa, she spent the next year singing in the Big City, before eventually graduating from Youngtown State University.
While in Youngstown, Tina met her future husband, Robert A. Helwig Jr., and they relocated to Washington, D.C. where she began working on Capitol Hill for the late Senator Charles M. Mathias, Jr. They were married in New Castle in August 1970. Joining the Junior League of Washington and settling down to raise a family, they remained in greater Washington for a number of years, where her exquisite cuisine and elegant entertainment became the “talk of the town.” The family relocated to Williamsburg, VA in 1982, where Mrs. Helwig began working as a special education assistant and substitute teacher for Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools. A lifelong devout Catholic with tremendous faith in God, she also began serving as a cantor at Saint Bede Catholic Church, using her God given talent to spread joy and happiness. Tina’s kindness, thoughtfulness and selfless, generous spirit shined each and every day of her life, always willing to lend a helping hand or to give of her time.
A proud descendant of many of the founders and first settlers of Maryland in the early 17th century, Mrs. Helwig was a direct descendent of Leonard Calvert, the first proprietary governor of Maryland, and his father George Calvert, the 1st Baron Baltimore. Her ancestors on her mother’s side included the Posey, Howard, Neale, Hammersley, Boarman, Brooke, Brent, Edelen, Gardiner, Jameson, Queen, and Sewall families. For many years Mrs. Helwig was actively involved in a variety of organizations including Catholic Campus Ministry, CASA, Williamsburg Choral Guild and The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America. Tina’s smile and grace energized every room she entered, and in her later years, it was that smile that greeted hundreds of visitors every year to The Craft House in Colonial Williamsburg.
Survivors include her three beloved children, Robert A. Helwig III (Tina), Christopher N. Helwig and Katherine H. Helwig; and two grandchildren, Julian A. Helwig and Isabel K. Helwig. Numerous adored cousins and their extended families also survive.
A Funeral Mass will be offered on Monday, December 14th at 2pm at The National Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham, 520 Richmond Rd., Williamsburg, VA. A private interment to follow at St. Ignatius Cemetery at Chapel Point, Port Tobacco, MD.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Saint Bede Catholic Church, Williamsburg, VA, and to The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Williamsburg, VA. Online condolences may be shared at www.nelsenwilliamsburg.com.
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