William (Bill) Helz, a loving husband, father, grandfather and friend, passed away on March 21, 2017 under hospice care and after living with a COPD diagnosis for almost a decade. He was 72 years old. At the time of his death, he was being cared for by his daughters and his dear friend Pete Willems. He died exactly as he wished – in his own home in Roswell, Georgia, and surrounded by loved ones. In his final days, Bill spoke about how much he loved and missed his wife Karen who passed last May, and it brought him comfort to think he would be with her again soon.
Bill was born on April 5, 1944 in Madison, Wisconsin to Kathleen Stebnitz Helz and Martin Helz and grew up in Bethesda, Maryland.
In 1969, Bill graduated from St. Olaf College in Minnesota, where he met his wife of 47 years, Karen Helz. They were married on August 31, 1969. Bill would later earn his master's degree in teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) from the School of International Training.
Karen and Bill dedicated their lives to teaching ESL initially through the Peace Corps in Thailand and subsequently in other countries including Iran, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Yemen and the U.S. His most recent achievement was contributing to the foundation of Exceed Language Center for ESL training in Sana'a, Yemen in 2007. The center continues to provide language training to Yemeni students today. Personally and professionally, Bill's life focused a great deal on making the future better for his staff and students.
Bill is survived by his daughters Maya Pack, Kristin Helz and Katrina Helz, sons-in-law Vince Pack and Matthew Delicata and grandsons Jonah David Pack, Julian Helz Delicata and Elliot Helz Delicata. Bill is also survived by his uncle Gary Stebnitz and his wife Georgie, his sister-in-law Arlinda Klempin and his nieces Serena and Bonnie Klempin.
To honor his wishes, the family will not be holding services but welcomes friends and family to post photos and memories to his memorial website.
The family is planning a commemorative dinner at a Thai restaurant to celebrate Bill's life and toast him with Diet Cokes. In the coming years, Maya, Kristin, and Katrina hope to make a trip to Thailand to revisit their childhood home and to scatter Karen and Bill's ashes together.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent in Bill's memory to the Islamic Relief charity or any organization that has in its mission to alleviate the suffering of the humanitarian crisis in Yemen.
Islamic Relief USA: http://irusa.org/yemen/
P.O. Box 22250
Alexandria, VA 22304 USA