Robert J. Helle's Obituary
Bob Helle was a good man. Loving husband and father, brother, grandfather, uncle. He was a firefighter and did and saw things that most of us thankfully will never have to experience. He never spoke of what he saw or had to do. He was responsible and took care in everything he did. He provided for his family and usually worked at least one side job, and sometimes two, on his days off from the fire station. He never complained about it. He volunteered putting Christmas care packages together every year. He helped put together and deliver care packages for people burned out of their homes. He was polite, usually. He taught me by example what is right and wrong. Bob Helle was a good man.
Robert J. Helle was born into a Scandinavian family on a farm in the middle of nowhere, near Adams, North Dakota. His family moved to a farm in the Edgewood area of Puyallup in 1941, when he was 10-11 years old. He continued living in the Puyallup area for the remainder of his life. He and his brothers and sister went to Puyallup High School, from which he graduated in 1948. He became a firefighter in the early 1950s, first working at McChord Air Force base as a civilian. He began working at the Puyallup Fire Department in 1956, serving the community for 31 years until his retirement. He and his wife Marilyn married in 1955 and raised three children together. They enjoyed traveling after retirement, including a trip to Norway to return to their Norwegian roots. They did extensive RVing on both long and short trips. In the last years of his life, after his memory and thinking became muddled by advanced Alzheimer’s, he longed to “go home,” which in his mind meant the farm in Edgewood.
Preceding him in death is his beloved wife, Marilyn (Piercy); parents, Edwin and Daisy (Knudson) Helle; brothers, Edval, Clark, Charles, and Eugene; sister, Doreen; and cousin, Grace. He is survived by his children, John Helle Otto (Barb Helle), Brad Helle, and Blake Helle; grandchildren and great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.
What’s your fondest memory of Robert?
What’s a lesson you learned from Robert?
Share a story where Robert's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Robert you’ll never forget.
How did Robert make you smile?