Christopher Richard Helm

Christopher Richard Helm,  age 73, of Toledo, OH celebrated a special November 27th birthday this year.  He was with his family on Earth and then in Heaven on the same day.  He died peacefully at home, after a long fought battle with a Non Hodgkins Lymphoma - Waldenstroms Macroglobulinemia.  He was treated at HOA at Flower Hospital  and participated in a medical trial study at the Dana Faber Cancer Institute in Boston, MA under the care of Dr. Steven Treon. Chris was born on November 27, 1941 in Toledo, OH to Karoline Hochschild Helm and Paul W. Helm.  As a boy growing up he enjoyed learning to play the drums and continued in his adult life playing professionally for 40 years with the Joe Raymond Trio, Stan Sturner Big Band and several other local groups and big bands. He also enjoyed playing baseball and was on the former Thomas A. DeVilbiss High School baseball team.  Chris was a paper boy in the Old Orchard area for many years. Chris met his wife, Judy, while they were both in the DHS marching and concert bands. He graduated from DHS in 1959, and  then graduated from the University of Toledo with a Bachelor of Education Degree. During his college years, he worked at Churchills on Central Avenue.  Chris began his teaching career in the Washington Local School System at Washington Jr. High during that time he earned a Masters of Education Administration from UT. In the summers, he worked at Bobs Upton and Berdan Service Station.  Chris then was employed by the University of Toledo as Manager of Personnel Services. He took early retirement in 1991 after 23 years. Just before retiring from the University of Toledo, he began his Whitetail Fly Tieing Supplies Business.  He sold materials for tying fly fishing flies and gave lessons in fly casting and tieing. He loved to share his knowledge with everyone.  Chris received numerous awards over the years, but the highest award from the Federation of Fly Fishers was the Buz Buszek Memorial Fly Tying Award in 2004. He was a FFF certified fly casting instructor. In 2003, the FFF Great Lakes Council awarded Chris the Educator Of The Year Award.  Chris traveled to England, Finland, Norway, Germany and the Netherlands numerous times to participate in Fly Fairs. He loved to fish Northern Canada and Crooked Island in the Bahamas, but also fished many other places in the world. He produced the Brassie Hair Packer tool to make working with deer hair easier when tieing fly fishing flies.  Chris designed a special fly fishing rod made by the Shelbyville Rod Company.  In addition, he was busy writing several magazine articles and making instructional DVDs over the years. Chris was a member of the former Covenant Presbyterian Church and served as a Deacon, Elder and  and on the pastoral search committee.  At the church, he was one of the first ushers and then ushered fifty years later at the last Sunday service.  He liked to say that the church was built on his neighborhood playing field. He later joined Grace Lutheran Church. Chris was a member of the Toledo Personnel Managers Association, a nine year member of the Eberly Center Board at UT, a Life Member of the Federation of Fly Fishers, a Life Member of the University of Toledo and Retirement Association, Trout Unlimited, the Toledo Zoo and other organizations. Chris is survived by his wife, Judith Garrison Helm. They had the unique experience of celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary on the weekend of the water crisis in August, 2014.  Also surviving are his sons, Brian (Maria) of White Lake, MI and Brad (Sarah) of Lambertville, MI; grandchildren, Austin, Jacob, Quinn and Marissa Helm and step-grandchildren, Brooke, Julia and Drake Vandekerckhove; brother-in-law, Robert Garrison (Marie Cecile) of Paris, France; nephew Paul J. Helm of MN; nieces, Anne of NYC and Elizabeth Garrison of Paris and other nieces and nephews.  Chris was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Paul C. Helm. Visitation will be held at the Walker Funeral Home, 5155 W. Sylvania Ave., (west of Corey Rd.) on Tuesday from 2:00 to 8:00 pm.  A funeral service will be held at Grace Lutheran Church, 4441 Monroe St., on Wednesday at 11:00 am. Interment will follow at Ottawa Hills Memorial Park.  In Chris memory, please consider sending a contribution to Dr. Steven Treon - Research c/o Dana Farber Cancer Institute, 450 Brookline Ave.,  M548, Boston, MA 02215; International Federation of Fly Fishers -Youth, 5237 U.S. Highway 89 South, Suite 11, Livingston, MT 59047 or ProMedica Hospice, 5200 Harroun Rd., Sylvania, OH 43560. Chris quote: Life was good - I had a good run.