Obituary of Dorothy Juanita Helmick

Dorothy Juanita Helmick, 89, of Waukegan, IL passed away peacefully on Thursday, September 19, 2019 in the privacy of her home.

She was born Dorothy Juanita Weiss in Tomah, Wisconsin in 1930 to Lorren and Eda Weiss. Her mother called her Juanita (among other things)!! She was a feisty little girl and the youngest of five. By the age of 16 she had finished high school and moved to Waukegan at 17 to work with a friend in a restaurant. A handsome young feller named Wilbur Guy Helmick walked into her life and asked her to marry him every day until she finally said yes.  They were married in the summer of 1948 (back in Tomah) and would have been celebrating 71 years together this past June 25 (44 years together before Wilbur passed away). Together they had five children three of which have passed on. 

For 26 years she worked down on Market Street at Fansteel/VR Wesson where they made tungsten carbide cutting tools. When the company moved to the east coast she took an early retirement and had hip surgery. She babysat many of her grandchildren and the cousins grew up together with great memories and MANY, MANY stories to tell!! For many years Juanita enjoyed bowling, ceramics and sold Home Interior as a second income with her daughter DeAnna. She was an avid card player and if she wasn’t playing with her friends at the Waukegan Senior Center she would challenge a family member (often her daughter Jocelyn) to a game of cards. You could always find her with her nose in a book or watching her favorite tv programs. She was a devout Christian and loved listening to WMBI Moody Radio. 90.1 was her easy listening through the night. She loved to cook and bake and was happy to share her special recipes with others. She was the pinnacle and the foundation of the entire family. Back when she was able she enjoyed traveling and had visited many places including Europe, Hawaii, Alaska, Belize, Mexico to name a few. No matter where she wandered in life she was always happy to come back home. She is truly home now and will be greatly missed by many.  

“A life well lived is a great inspiration.”

Dorothy is survived by her daughters, DeAnna  Lynn Lassiter and Jocelyn Gail (Alan) Engle and daughter-in-law Carolyn Joyce Helmick. She was blessed with 16 grandchildren: Shannon (John), Jason (Tammy), Randy(Amy), Jamie (Dan), Daniel (Jenny), Johhny, Ryan(Ashley), Nathan, Jesse, Charlie, Kayla, Gina (Nick), Jenny (Dennis), Jessica (Zach), Lana (Christian), Breana; 15 great grandchildren: Keenen, Jaylen, Devin, Rebecca, Jason Jr., Kira, Darrell ‘Lucky’, Sky, Ezra, Danielle, Jackson, Olivia, Josiah, Camden and Adley.

She was preceded in death by her parents Lorren and Eda Weiss; husband Wilbur Guy Helmick; sons, Dennis Lorren Helmick and Randy Lee Helmick and daughter, Rhonda Lou Sanderson; Siblings, Eudoris Brown (Ernest), Enola Koch (Bob), Everett Weiss and Kenneth Weiss.

Visitation will be held Thursday, September 26, 2019 at Congdon Funeral Home, 3012 Sheridan Rd., Zion, IL from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m.  Visitation will resume Friday, September 27, 2019 at the funeral home from 10:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m., with Funeral Service beginning at 11:00 a.m.