09/24/2025
Helen Edwards-Law was the only child of John Henry Edwards and Pattie Speight-Swinson-Edwards. Both were from Speights Bridge in Greene County, North Carolina. During The Great Migration years, which were from about 1910 to 1970, John and Pattie migrated from North Carolina to Washington, DC sometime before 1934. They purchased a large rowhouse at 2139 L Street, NW, Washington, DC. And in 1945 the family moved to Just Street, NE, Washington, DC.
Helen was a member of “The Silent Generation”, who were born between 1928 & 1945. Helen was born in Washington, DC on November 24, 1934 which was during the years of “The Great Depression”, that lasted from 1929 to 1939. Helen’s zodiac sign was Sagittarius. Helen passed on September 16, 2025.
Helen went to various schools in Washington, DC; Merritt Elementary, Kelly Miller Jr High, and Cardozo High School. Helen graduated from high school and after high school Helen went to a night school to learn Gregg Shorthand.
Helen worked in various jobs. Some of the main jobs were when she worked in food service; she served food at the US Capital and at The White House, and she cooked at Peoples Drug Store. At some point Helen learned to be a Nurse’s Aide and she worked in PG County Hospital in PG County, Maryland. Helen also worked as a Teacher’s Aide at the National Children's Center in Washington, DC with children and young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Helen was a loyally voting Democrat, and her favorite US Presidents, during her lifetime, were Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, of course, President Barack Obama. And I am sure that Kamala Harris would have been one of her favorite presidents as well, if she had won the election.
Helen was religious, she was Pentecostal, and when she was younger, she attended church services with her mother at Bible Way Church on New Jersey Ave, NW, Washington DC, with Bishop Smallwood E. Williams as Pastor. But eventually what worked best for Helen was to make her way closer to home at Little Rock Church of Christ, on Sheriff Road NE, Washington, DC, with Bishop Richard Coley as Pastor. She attended church services there as long as she could but she considered herself as remaining a member for the rest of her life.
Helen wanted to be loved and she married Louis Law in 1958 in New York. Although they did not stay together for long, or have any children together, Helen kept the name Law and used it for the rest of her life. Even though Helen dated other men, once she was no longer with her former husband, she never found that one man that she would want to spend the rest of her life with and to make the leap back into marriage again with.
Helen was a mother. I am Veronica Edwards, her oldest daughter. Helen met my father, Richard Edward Butler, when she worked in PG County Hospital. When Helen was younger, she had a big pretty smile with a gap between her top 2 front teeth, I did not get that gap.
Helen also has 2 younger daughters; they are 4 years younger than I am, and they are a set of Fraternal Twins, they are Valerie Tahesha Jefferson (who did get that gap) and Christine Louise Brown. Their father was Carl Edward Davis Sr. Although, because of Helen's father, they were both given up for adoption after being born in New York, they were both reunited with our family, one by one, with DNA confirmation from Ancestry.com. Valerie was reunited in 2020 and Christine was reunited in 2024.
Helen was a grandmother and has 3 grandsons; Daren Christopher Blount Jr, Jerome Paul Brown Sr and Dontrell Brown. Helen was a great grandmother, and has 1 great granddaughter and 4 great grandsons; Skai Blount, Jerhon Jayden Brown, Jerome Paul Brown Jr, Jasiah Lamar Brown, and Jeremih Arthur Brown. Helen also had a host of other family and friends.
Helen was a good person; she was a warm-hearted person. Helen was often shy and timid until she got to know you and got used to you then she would open up a little more. Helen was a sweet person with a kind and generally cheerful nature regardless of what she had been through in her life which none of us fully knows because we have NOT walked in Helen’s shoes. Helen was a loving and caring person that I loved and advocated for as hard as I could. Helen will NOT be forgotten. And she will be profoundly missed. May Helen Rest in Peace and may GOD bless her soul. Thank you for reading about Helen.
