Evonne Helean, 69

Evonne Marsai Helean, 69, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2022 at her home in Somers after a courageous battle with cancer. Evonne was born on Aug. 20, 1953 in Klamath Falls, Oregon. Her parents were Ken and Betty Sharp.

Evonne and her family moved around a lot as a child. She graduated high school in Milton Freewater, Oregon in 1971 and married John Leonetti in 1974. They resided in Walla Walla, Washington where she did secretarial work. She made lifelong friends at her work there. Evonne became a mother to Angela when she married John and also went on to have her first-born son, Jason, in 1977. This is where she discovered her true calling. While she continued to work, it was motherhood that brought her the greatest joy. She went on to have her daughter, Jeana, in 1980. Evonne loved being a mother, family meant everything to her and she loved to have family gatherings. She moved to Montana in 1989. Evonne eventually found her soul mate. She married the love of her life, Phil Helean, on Oct. 10, 2002.

Evonne had a great career at Youth Court Services. The job required her to travel around Montana transporting juveniles. She really loved road trips. Eventually she became the office administrator. She made more lifelong friends there and went on to retire in 2017. Evonne was a true outdoorsman. She had a love for fishing and camping. Her favorite thing was to gather the whole family for a campout and sit around the campfire into the night playing games and laughing. She was always in control of the campfire stoker and made sure to keep the fire hot.

Evonne was preceded in death by her mother Betty Sharp and her father Ken Sharp.

Evonne is survived by her loving and devoted husband of 20 years, Phil Helean; her children Jason and (Sandra) Leonetti, Jeana and (Brandon) Baldauf, and Angela and (Corbin) Anderson; grandchildren Tanner Leonetti, Kyler Baldauf, Gavin Baldauf, Alexis Lee, Augusta Cahill, Ashley Ferguson, and Abby Ferguson; and brother Randy and (Susan) Hunt.

A celebration of life will be held at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, at the Kalispell VFW.