"I miss you Grandpa!!!"
Stoughton- Donald C. Hellum, age 86, passed away peacefully with his family by his side on Saturday, May 23, 2015 at Agrace HospiceCare in Fitchburg. He was born in Stoughton on June 17, 1928, the son of Maxwell and Jennie Hellum. On March 26, 1946 Don married Delores Pickarts in Manchester, Iowa. Together they enjoyed travelling. Don worked for the City of Stoughton Streets Dept. for over 30 years. He was a volunteer fire fighter for the Stoughton Fire Dept. for 13 years. Following his retirement Don enjoyed making donuts and lefse, hunting and fishing. He was a member of First Lutheran Church. Don is survived by his wife of 69 years, Delores; two daughters, Janice (Bob) Niblo of Winnebago, IL, and Diane (Gary) Kirby of WI Dells; four grandchildren; 13 great grandchildren; and one great great grandson. He was preceded in death by his parents; and infant brother, Maxwell Dean Hellum. Funeral services will be held at 11:30 AM on Wednesday, May 27, 2015 at Cress Funeral Home in Stoughton, with Rev. John Shep officiating. Friends and relatives are invited to a luncheon, immediately following the services, at the Stoughton American Legion Post 59. Visitation will take place from 9:30 AM until the time of services Wednesday. Memorials may be made to First Lutheran Church, Agrace HospiceCare Inc. of Madison, or Skaalen Retirement Services. A special thank you to the staffs of St. Mary's Hospital and Agrace HospiceCare Inc. of Fitchburg. Please share your memories.
Cress Funeral Service
206 W. Prospect Street
Stoughton, WI 53589
(608) 873-9244
"I miss you Grandpa!!!"
"My sincere condolences go out to you and your family for your loss. During Jesus' Millennial Reign, obedient subjects of God's Kingdom will grow to perfection, eventually becoming completely free from all the effects of Adam's sin. (Romans 8:21) Jehovah "will actually swallow up death forever, and will wipe the tears from all faces." (Isaiah 25:8) Please visit us at www.jw.org for more spiritual comfort."
"Uncle Donald was a very tall man with a stern look on his face,but as a child I saw the joy within his soul. I remember when he would let us reach for as many coins our hand could hold to keep from his pants pocket. I remember the rides in the Model A car come parade time. I remember all the summers at the cottage on Lake Kegonsa. I remember Grandma Jennie as if we were her own. As I grew older I began to appreciate the relationships are elders had with their friends and family. The stories that were passed onto us to pass onto our children were a treat for us all. The Norwegian heritage of Syttendi Mai celebration. I have more memories than there is room on a page. My heart is full and yet sad.I will miss you Uncle Donald."
"Grandpa I just wanted to say thank you for coming to my Hockey games and watching me. I always tried to play my best for you and Grandma when you were there. I will miss your big hugs. "
"Grandpa, my memories of you go back as far as I can remember. From showing me your coin collection when I was just a little girl, to attending my dance recitals, and catching my hand in your cookie jar.
I always looked forward to having an additional Christmas, or Thanksgiving dinner with you and grandma. I got to see a glimpse of what your life was like before mine even existed. I don't think I've meant a person as stubborn as you, but I also don't think I've meant some one who had a large heart for animals (even if you never admitted to it), and an even bigger heart for his family.
I will miss you dearly, and I will cherish the memories we shared together. I Love You.
"
"My Grandpa.... There are so many memories that I have with this wonderful man. From him teaching me how to fish on Lake Kegonsa, to our yearly deer hunting trips or his visits watching his grand kids sporting events. Spending time with Grandpa was truly wonderful. I will miss our weekly phone calls, where the first 5 minutes was usually filled with talk about the many animals that would come to the back door to his sun porch. Boy he and Grandma I think fed the animals better then they fed themselves.
For all that knew my Grandpa, most would agree that he could sometimes be a pain in the butt. Stubborn ole Norwegian with a bigger bark then bite. A man with many words to say, however had a real hard time with expressing his feelings. I can remember one day sitting with him talking about who knows what, when he took my hand and said " I Love You" I must have had a look of fear on my face as if I thought he was going to die right then and there as these were three words that he never said. With tears in both of our eyes we just sat and laughed. I would only hear those three words a half dozen or so times over the years, but I always knew I had a special place in his heart.
The night before his passing, we sat and communicated by him squeezing my hand for responses and me just asking questions. Feeding Grandpa pudding and him grunting and smacking his lips was our fun for the moment. A hug and a kiss was what I knew would be our last moments together. Oh how I was wrong. At 2:19 am ., just 5 hours after leaving his bed side, I woke from the most vivid dream I have had in sometime. The dream was short, but like we did most times during my visits, I would back out of the driveway and he would be standing at the screen door waving good-bye. I would learn a few hours later that Grandpa passed on about 20 minutes after my dream. Thank you for the good-bye and thank you for the many wonderful memories. I LOVE YOU TOO!!!!"
"Thinking of Mr. Right. Sorry to hear of his passing. Enjoyed visting with him and his humor."
"My parents live two doors down from where the Hellum's cottage was on Lake Kegonsa. I hold so many dear memories of both Don and Dory. Don always had a joke for me or some sort of trick to play on me. His favorite was asking me to check the garden hose because he would tell me it wasn't working. After getting it close enough to my face he would turn it on..... I remember many swimming dates with all of his grandkids which I so looked forward to, Don and Dory also enjoyed many of card games with my parents. A kind gentle loving soul. Rest in peace my dear friend. "
"The only time I ever saw him cry with tears of joy was when we asked if we could use his middle name as our child's middle name in honor of him. Hence Sebastian Carlyle Dobson"
"From Jared Allen Stubbe (Great grandchild) "You were an amazing person and an great Grandpa. You loved and received love. God has taken you as his child. We love him for that and we love him for giving us you. Thank you, God for bringing him to a better place. Thank you Grandpa for being who you were and loving all of us. Rest in Peace, Grandpa Hellum - Love, Jared"
"He was always willing to pass down his interests to us great grandkids from his coin collecting to his hat collection. He was always eager to give gifts and spend time with the family, especially during Syttende Mai. His interest in the local culture was unparalleled and stories of the local Norskes were never kept secret. Simply listening to his stories could be the main event of any afternoon."
"One of my fondest memories of Grandpa Hellum was when he showed up at my school when I was in the 5th grade to surprise me. This is the age of my youngest child now. He was in the area driving truck that day and he took time out of his day to surprise me. I also remember doing a lot of fishing with him on Lake Kegonsa and sitting on the basement steps of his house on Summit Street watching him butcher snapping turtles. It was pretty gory at times, but it was so interesting just the same. He was always quick to reach into his pocket and give you quarters as a child to put in the vending machine, juke box or to take to the snack counter for a treat too. When Hope was born he was so happy to have 5 generations in the family again. He couldn't wait to have a picture taken with his mother, Jennie Hellum. He was even more thrilled when Sebastian was born and he took on the role as Great, Great Grandpa. Once again we had a 5 generation photo opportunity. We will miss you Grandpa - thanks for always being there for us. Love, Shelli and family"
"Grandpa always spoiled us. But, that's what grandpas do best. He spoiled us with countless hugs and kisses from as far back as I can remember to the last time I visited him at home. He also spoiled me in several other ways. One time, when I was about 12 years old, I was spending a week at the cottage with him and grandma for some summer fun and ICE CREAM. He let me eat as much as I wanted every night after supper. One night that week I ate soooo much that....well let's just say it was years before I ate my favorite butter pecan ice cream again. That was then. Now I've grown up a bit had some kids of my own, and he STILL found ways to spoil all 4 of them, my husband, and myself EVERY time we visited. I believe he found a lot of joy in giving. And, it was one of his favorite ways to show his love for us. I'll never forget your big smile grandpa! Love you lots! Melanie "