On Friday, December 9 ^th Faith Helms Voit passed away. She was exactly 85 years 8 months also having been born on a Friday, the 9 ^th of April in 1937. An avid reader, an outstanding writer with a sharp wit, Faith's sense of poetics would have resounded with the neatness of the dates.

Faith is survived by her husband of 62 years, Paul, and three of their four girls (Alexandria, Jeanine and Nicole). Her youngest, Serena, died in 1987. Faith is also survived by her twin sister Fern who is 15 minutes younger than Faith. The two sisters remained as close as only twins can know for their entire lives. Faith's 4 grandchildren and 5 step grandchildren's lives have been enriched having known her. She will be deeply missed by many.

Raised in a traditional household, Faith started out as an administrative assistant but always wanted to go to college.  At the age of 53, she earned her college degree from LaSalle University with a major in English. Notably, she then went on to earn her MLA from the University of Pennsylvania. Faith's mantra of "lifelong learning" extended to her travels with Paul. She particularly enjoyed learning about and experiencing new places and she and Paul set aside time every year, later in life, to learn about other cultures by travelling internationally. They visited China, Russia, Africa, Europe, South America, and Turkey among others. An eloquent writer and speaker, Faith loved sharing stories from their travels and about her grandchildren.

Faith had many careers following her administrative start. She worked for a renowned periodontist, a master woods craftsman, and then went on to work for WB Saunders, a medical publisher. Faith retired from Saunders at the age of 71, where she had been able to combine her love of the medical field and writing. Faith viewed retirement as a "time to give back" and shared her time with many organizations. She was awarded Volunteer of the Month at Doylestown Hospital, having volunteered 3,685 hours in same-day services. She also joined the VIA, a women's community club, and the P.E.O. (Philanthropic Educational Organization) a sisterhood dedicated to helping women financially achieve their educational goals. She was also a friend of the Riegelsville Public Library. In recent years, Faith loved her new community at Heritage Village. She looked forward to dinners at Rose Inn, her Monday Tai-Chi class with her fellow Tai-Chi enthusiasts and seeing her friends.

Faith spent her free-time gardening, reading, and finding "time to think." She loved listening to classical music with Paul and watching old movies together – Dr. Zhivago and Casablanca were favorites. Friends described Faith as extremely well-spoken, kind and compassionate, smart, effortlessly stylish, and always a lady. Faith was quiet but lived her life with clarity and determination to make herself better. For those who had the opportunity to know her, their lives are no doubt happier and fuller because of her. Arrangements are under the care of the Schmidt Funeral Home PC, 407 Belvidere St., Nazareth.