(262) 653-0667
3016 75th Street, Kenosha, WI 53142
William J. “Bill” Helminger, age 57, passed peacefully from this life on Monday June 9, 2014 at the Hospice House in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin after a long struggle with emphysema. William was born in Kenosha on August 11, 1956 to James and Loretta Helminger. He was the youngest of their three children.
Though he traveled widely, Bill was a lifelong resident of Kenosha. He attended St ThomasGrade School and BradfordHigh School. He was an avid golfer and was known as “Beer Cart Bill” at Bristol Oaks Country Club where he was employed for 14 years. This job allowed him to pursue his passion to travel. He spent many winters in Belize and Guatemala.
During his teens Bill became a practicing Hindu and followed these beliefs throughout his life. To fellow Krishna devotees he was known as Bhagavan Acarya Dasa. He attended services at the Chicago area Hare Krishna temple. One of the highlights of his life was his visit to India, the birth place of his Hindu religion.
In the recent years Bill enjoyed his lawn care business as he provided excellent service to many Kenosha residents. Today his sons, James and Joseph, continue the family business. He also shared his love of sports and pride for BradfordHigh School with his sons.
Bill is survived by his two sons, James and Joseph of Kenosha, his sister Lynn (David) Lepak of Waukesha and his nieces Sara Helminger, Ashley Rau, Lindsey Rau, and Samantha Helminger, and his nephew Dylan Helminger, two aunts, an uncle, many cousins and friends.
He was preceded in death by his father James in 1960, his brother John in 2007 and his mother Loretta in 2012.
Visitation with the family will be held Thursday, June 12, 2014 at 5pm at the Kemper Center Founders Hall, 6501 3rd Avenue, Kenosha, WI. A memorial service will follow at 6pm.
Mon - Fri: 8AM - 4PM
(262) 653-0667
3016 75th Street, Kenosha, WI 53142
Tom Fulmer says:
Jim & Joe,
I was good friends with your father for many years. Bill was so proud of both of you & loved you both very much. He wants you both to have full lives filled with love as he did.
Regards,
Tom Fulmer
Annabelle Younger says:
My deepest heart felt blessing on my dear Godbrother and to his sons left behind. May they too come to know the love and joy for Krishna that he experienced. My only wish is that I could have been with him in his last moments or that we could have flown him to the Hospice in Vrindavan. Not a blade of grass moves without the Lord’s knowing. No doubt Bill is in good hands and we will all meet up in another time and place.
Bhakta Das says:
Dear Bhagavan Acarya Prabhu,
I am saddened to hear that Lord Krishna has taken you from us at such a young age. You are my eternal God Brothers and friend and I will never forget you.
You have departed from this world at an auspicious time and by the blessings of Lord Krishna and all his devotees your future is not doubt very auspicious.
For the last years you’ve been a good friend on Facebook and I will miss you for sure.
With all love and blessings,
Bhakta das
Bhakta Das says:
BTW, I am happy to know you loved to play golf. I do too.
Vaiyasaki Das says:
Dear Bhagavan Achaya,
We never got to meet, but we did have exchanges on Facebook. We were both expecting to meet, but the Lord had His own idea. I’m sure you’re in a better place now, closer to your beloved Lord, than when you were on this planet. Of course, He was always in your heart, so in that sense you were always with Him. Hare Krishna!
Your godbrother , Vaiyasaki Das…
kavicandra swami says:
Dear Bhagavan Acarya,
I do not exactly remember you but I know that Srila Prabhupada and Lord Caitanya do and that you are now well situated with them.
Swarup Hebel says:
Although Bill (Bhagavan Acarya) Helminger and I both followed the same path and were disciples of the same teacher I didn’t know him until recently …. when our paths crossed on the Internet a few years ago. We had many wonderful exchanges and whenever I’d see a comment he made on either my or some other person’s facebook page I’d be amazed at his depth, honesty, intelligence and sincerity. No doubt he was one of the good guys and he’ll be missed by a great many people including myself. My condolences to his family.
Mukunda Datta says:
Hare Krishna. I just wanted to pay my respects on hearing the sad news of this humble godbrother’s passing. Bill Helminger a/k/a Bhagavanacarya prabhu was a very kind and simple devotee whose association was very helpful for me when I met him in 1976. He was both perceptive and deep, spiritually. In youth, he and I often used to go out to distribute books together. That was long ago; I hadn’t seen him in so many years and didn’t know he was ill, but I am sure the Lord will never forget all of his sincere and exemplary service. Condolences to his family members and friends.
Madhusudan Das says:
In this life Bill (Bhagavan Acarya) and I never physically met, but as god brothers we got to know each other a bit on Facebook. He was very spiritually conscious as a result of his years of service to the mission of his spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada. The Lord has never forgotten him for that.
My condolences to his family and friends.
Mahasaumya Dasa says:
Om shanti om shanti om shanti. A great soul has left us. Om shanti.
Guru Krsna das says:
My heart is heavy today as I learn of the passing of one of my Uncles that I got to know on FB. I will miss his comments and posts. We are the same age and I can only wonder why I am still here and such a great man like him is now gone from our sight. My condolences to his family and friends! Until we meet again, Hare Krsna!
Bhumi devi dasi says:
I, like several of the devotees who commented here, met Bhagavanacarya on the internet about 4 years ago. We carried on a long correspondence which I recently dug up and re-read. He was very special. Completely honest and sincere and still inquisitive. He had told me he suffered with COPD and had a hard time breathing, but I did not realize that he would be taken from us so soon. In the past year, I had lost contact with him and would often remind myself to drop him a note or send him that incense I had promised him. I still have that box in my car that never got mailed off. When I found out he had passed away, I felt so much pain at his loss and that I hadn’t followed though with my communications. This is a hard lesson for me.
I pray that the Lord has him firmly in His embrace and that I will get to meet him in the service of our eternal master, Srila Prabhupada sometime in the future.
Bhagavanacarya will be missed…