Donald Foster Helm I, 86, of Fish Creek, Wisconsin, passed away Thursday, September 17, 2026, at Door County Medical Center.
Donald was born July 30, 1940, in Danville, Kentucky, the son of the late Foster and Ruby Mae (Glasscock) Helm. After graduating from Parksville High School in 1958, he earned his bachelor's degree from Western Kentucky University and his master's degree from Eastern Kentucky University. He later earned his MBA (MM) from Northwestern University in 1980.
Donald and Cozatta "Cozy" Tucker grew up together in Kentucky, knowing one another long before they would build a life together. They married on October 27, 1961, in Metropolis, Illinois, beginning a marriage that would span nearly 65 years. Through all the places they lived and all the chapters that followed, theirs was a life built around family, love, laughter, and a deep devotion to one another. Donald and Cozy began their married life in Bowling Green, Kentucky, with Donald teaching English at Perryville Hill School in Perryville, Kentucky and at Boyle County High School in Danville, Kentucky.
During those early years, Donald and Cozy welcomed their two children, Don and Susan. In 1966, they moved to Versailles, Kentucky, when Donald joined Rand McNally. His career took the family to the Chicago area in 1972, where he worked at the company's Skokie office. He retired from Rand McNally in 1994 as Vice President of Human Resources.
In 1995, Donald and Cozy built their forever home in Door County, where they created decades of memories with family and friends. Donald was a member of Fish Creek Community Church and served on the board of the Northern Door Children's Center. He was also recognized as a Kentucky Colonel, the highest title of honor bestowed by the Governor of Kentucky in recognition of noteworthy accomplishments and service.
Those facts tell the story of Donald's life, but they do not begin to capture the man he was. Donald was kind and generous, patient and wise, with a wonderful sense of humor and an ability to put people at ease. He treated people with genuine interest and respect. Throughout his life, he touched countless people through gestures large and small, often without realizing the impact he had made.
Above all else, Donald loved his family. He was a devoted husband, father and father-in-law, grandfather, and great-grandfather. Family was not simply important to Donald; it was the center of his life. For those he loved, Donald was a source of strength and steadiness. His were the strong shoulders they leaned on again and again, and they were always there. He listened, reassured, and offered perspective. And, perhaps most importantly, he made the people he loved know that they were loved.
Donald is survived by his beloved wife, Cozy; his children, Donald (Polly) Helm II of Fish Creek, Wisconsin, and Susan (Rory) Helm-Murtagh of Boulder, Colorado; his granddaughter, Hannah (Dan) Holdridge of Madison, Wisconsin; his great-granddaughter, Elsie May Holdridge; another great-grandchild on the way; and his sister, Mary Jo Helm of Fish Creek, Wisconsin. He was preceded in death by his parents, Foster and Ruby Mae Helm; his brother, Kenneth Helm; and his beloved granddaughter, Elizabeth "Ellie" Mary Helm, who died in 2017.
There is an enormous hole in the hearts of those who loved Donald. But alongside the grief is tremendous gratitude -- for his long life, his humor and wisdom, his extraordinary kindness, and especially for the privilege of calling him husband, Dad, and Poppa. His family could not be prouder of the man he was or feel more blessed to have been loved by him. The lessons he taught, the example he set, and the love he shared will live on through the generations that follow him. Donald's family is deeply grateful to the physicians, nurses, and staff at Door County Medical Center for the extraordinary compassion and care they provided to Donald and his family during his final days.
A celebration of Donald's life will be held Saturday, November 7, 2026 at The Donald and Carol Kress Pavilion (7845 Church St., Egg Harbor, Wisconsin). Friends and family are invited to gather beginning at 3:00 p.m. The service will begin at 4:00 p.m., followed by a reception with light refreshments.
The family kindly asks that, in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions be made to The Ellie Helm Foundation, a cause that carries forward the memory of Donald's granddaughter and is especially meaningful to the Helm family. The Ellie Helm Foundation c/o Door County Community Foundation, Inc. 222 N. 3rd Ave. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 Online donations may be made through the Door County Community Foundation at this link: https://doorcountycommunityfoundation.org/ihelelc/ The family invites friends to sign the online guestbook and share memories and condolences through his tribute page at www.CaspersonFuneralHome.com.
