Bonnie Helmick

Bonnie June Helmick, 89, of Palm Coast, FL, formerly of Rockford, IL, went home to be with our Lord Tuesday, May 23, 2017, in Stuart F. Hospice House. Born June 28, 1927, in Rockford, the daughter of Henry and Hazel (Hickox) Taylor. Bonnie married Allen “Rocky” Helmick in 1947. Together they had 5 children. They later divorced. She met Henry “Hank” Vetterli, who became her lifelong companion until his death. Bonnie and Hank moved to Pinellas Park, FL, in the mid-1980s, where she enjoyed searching for shells on the beach, long sight-seeing drives, tinkering in the yard and in her flower beds, and collecting Carnival and Fenton glass. Bonnie and Hank enjoyed traveling and often visited relatives, even taking a trip to Switzerland to do so. They moved to Wisconsin in their later years, where they lived with family. Bonnie returned to Florida in 2015 to live with her daughter, Jerrie. Survivors include her children, Thomas (Barbara) Helmick of Eagle River, WI, Gloria (Edward) Rodgers of North Pole, AK, Randy (Jacalyn) Helmick of Brodhead, WI, and Jerrie Whitford of Palm Coast, FL; 10 grandchildren; 16 great-grandchildren; 6 great-great-grandchildren with a seventh on the way; and brother, William Taylor of Machesney Park, IL. Bonnie was predeceased by her infant son, Darcey Dean; brothers, Marshall, Henry “Bud”, David and Earl Taylor; and sister, Betty Outzen.

Service at 11 a.m. Tuesday, May 30, in Delehanty Funeral Home, Ltd., 401 River Lane, Loves Park, with visitation from 10 a.m. to service time. Burial in Sunset Memorial Gardens.