JOHN HELMS

John F. Helms, CW3, U.S. Army, age 78 of Neenah, died in the presence of his loving family on November 1, 2015 after a battle with appendiceal cancer. He was born on September 27, 1937 at Mercy Hospital, Oshkosh, the son of Henry and Ruth (Carow) Helms. John was born in Winneconne, before moving to Neenah in 1942. He graduated from Neenah High School in 1955 and was employed by the Kroger Company. He was a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. In 1960 he enlisted in the U.S. Army and was a Special Agent in the Counterintelligence Corps. He retired from the U.S. Army after 22 years of service at the grade of Chief Warrant Officer Three. His assignments included Chief Security Officer for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Pentagon; instructor at the Army Intelligence School, Fort Huachuca, Sierra Vista, Arizona; and Security Officer for the 1120th Signal Battalion, Ogden, Utah. He was also assigned to the 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Kentucky; 7th Infantry Division, Fort Ord, California; units in Germany and South Korea as well as serving on special assignments in Hawaii and Alaska. He was also a graduate of the United States Marine Corps' Command and Staff College. John was a member of St. Mary's Parish in Menasha. He is survived by his brother, Bertram Helms, Mulberry, FL; and sister, Mary (Stanley) Bork, New London, WI; nieces: Diane (Rob) Pulda; Sue (Amy) Helms; Karen (Tom) Ott; and Tina (Jim) Jaeckels; and his grandnieces and nephews: Jeremy Jaeckels; Jesse Jaeckels; Steven (Julie) Pulda; Amy Pulda; Jennifer Ott; and Adam Ott. He was preceded in death by his parents, Henry and Ruth Helms; sister-in-law, Muriel Helms; and a nephew, Anthony John Bork. The funeral service for John will be held at 11:00 A.M. on Thursday, November 5, 2015 at St. Mary's Parish, 528 Second St. Menasha, Rev. Paul Paider officiating. A visitation will take place at church from 9:00 A.M. until the hour of service. Interment will be at Greenlawn Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund has been established. The family wishes to thank the staff at Cherry Meadows Hospice, Theda Clark and Fox Valley Hematology and Oncology Clinic for providing him and the family comfort during his illness.