SHEBOYGAN — It’s been a tough week for the Helmer family as they process the passing of 52-year-old Chris Helmer — a brother, a husband and a father.
He was also the principal at Horizon Elementary School in Plymouth, a job he only held for a year. But he spent more than two decades in Wisconsin school districts, mostly as a special education teacher.
Chris’s family knew that although he loved work, he still made time for them.
“[I’ve been] a little bit autopilot,” his wife Tina said. “I made a promise to him that I wouldn’t disengage, that I would stay active and engaged…and I’m keeping that promise.”
This year marked their 20th wedding anniversary. She and Chris met when they worked at the same school. She’s a school psychologist.
“He’s a very hard worker. He always dedicates 100 percent of himself in anything he does.”
Tina said that’s what drew her to him.
“Throughout his treatment, …