Helen Frances Reeves was born on July 21, 1916 in Union City, Tennessee, to Eulous and Viola Reeves. The family moved to South Bend, Indiana when she was young, and she grew up on the west side of South Bend in the 1920s, where she attended Linden Elementary School. She went on to graduate from Central High School and Indiana University at South Bend, also earning a certificate in early childhood development from Indiana State University as well as a certificate in city planning from the University of Colorado.

She worked on the nursing staff at St. Joseph Hospital, as well as working as a polio nurse at the Northern Indiana Children's Hospital for 13 years beginning in the 1950s; while on the staff, she also worked to desegregate the facility. She continued to serve her community in many other capacities. She worked with the South Bend Community School Corporation's Project STEP; worked as a Neighborhood Youth Corps Work Coordinator; and served as Social Service Director for the federal Model Cities program in the 1970s.

Helen was an active member and volunteer for many community organizations, including the Indiana State Mental Health Association of St. Joseph County, Hering House, Urban League, Hansel Center, National Steering Committee for the YWCA, NAACP, and South Bend Heritage Foundation. She was the local coordinator for the History of Black Women in Indiana. She was chairman of the Indiana University South Bend Special Services Advisory Board.

She earned service awards from the YWCA, the Urban League, the Federation of Black Women's Clubs, and Project Head Start. She was inducted into the South Bend Hall of Fame at the Century Center on November 15, 1992.

Helen married James S. Pope on June 1, 1941. James was also a community activist, as well as a veteran of World War II and the Korean War, a long-time mail handler, and counsel to the Indiana Attorney General in the 1980s. Helen and James had a son, Jerry. They remained married for over sixty years, until his death in 2003. Helen passed away the following year, on March 30, 2004. She and James were long-time members of the Greater St. John Missionary Baptist Church.

Indiana University South Bend's Helen F. Pope Memorial Scholarship, which recognizes and encourages the commitment and leadership of undergraduate and graduate students who are active participants in the Civil Rights Heritage Center, is named in her honor.