Helyn M. Jordan

Helyn M. Jordan

January 7, 1937 – October 15, 2023

Helyn Mae Jordan (nee Schultz) passed away peacefully on October 15, 2023, at the age of 86. She was preceded in death by her husband of 62 years, David L. Jordan. Loving mother of Jeffrey (Karen) Jordan, Scott (Joann) Jordan, and Pamela (Timothy) Adams. Proud grandmother of Sarah (Marty) Bushman, David (Heather) Jordan, Laura (Zach) Sowle, Vanessa Jordan, and Abby (Chris) Heiberg; dear great-grandma of Caroline and Andrew Bushman, and Melanie Jordan. She was also preceded in death by her brother, Robert J. Schultz. She is survived by a brother-in-law, K. Thomas Jordan, sister-in-law, Jeanne Benson, cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends.

Helyn was born in Forest Park, Illinois. After a brief time in Rochester, MN, her family moved to Shorewood, Wisconsin, when she was 5 years old. She attended Atwater Elementary School and later Shorewood High School, where she met Dave. Helyn graduated in 1954; she and Dave married in 1960.

After high school, Helyn attended what is now the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee for two years, studying social work in order to work with children. When she learned she would need a Master’s Degree to work in her field of study, she turned focus to starting a family, and raised three children as a stay-at-home mom. She was often seen helping out at Lake Bluff School in Shorewood as either a room mother or a member of the Parent Teacher Association, or as a Brownie and Girl Scout leader, as well as chaperoning numerous field trips with her kids. When the boys reached high school, Helyn and Dave became very active members of the Greyhound Backers Booster Club, which raised funds to support Shorewood High School athletics.

Annual summer vacations while her kids were younger took the family to places across the United States. Camping trips often found the family at various Wisconsin state parks, including Mauthe Lake, Devil’s Lake, and Peninsula.

Helyn dearly loved her grandchildren, and she provided daycare for each of them at some point before they reached elementary school. Later, she and Dave attended their activities and sporting events. Helyn also appeared on TV with her oldest granddaughter, Sarah, as a State Fair winning baker. She also enjoyed spring break trips with her grandkids and their significant others to places like Hilton Head, Myrtle Beach, Savannah, and Florida, sharing their timeshare with them. Helyn and Pam also enjoyed travel to Cancun and Las Vegas, and shared a special mother-daughter bond. Most recently, Helyn had great joy in getting to know three great-grandchildren, offering animal crackers as a staple at every visit to Grandma’s house.

But perhaps her greatest attribute and one that so many of her friends and family admired, was her eternal optimism. In the dictionary there truly should be a picture of Helyn next to the term “glass half full.” Never one to complain, she quickly identified the silver lining in everything, and the goodness in everyone. And she gave full voice to that goodness, often when others couldn’t see it.

A celebration of Helyn’s life will take place Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023, at 11:30 a.m. at Greendale Community Church (6015 Clover Lane, Greendale, WI). Visitation is 10 a.m. until time of service. Private interment is at Chapel Hill Memorial Park, Greenfield, WI.

In lieu of flowers, memorials in Helyn’s name to the Friends of Peninsula State Park and the Friends of Devil's Lake State Park are appreciated.