Business of the Week: Helke Funeral Home and Cremation Service

Wausau Pilot & Review

Editor’s note: This regular feature shares the stories of locally-owned and operated businesses and organizations in the Wausau area, highlighting the products and services they offer and the ways they contribute to the metro area’s unique flavor. Learn how to feature your business by emailing [email protected].

This week’s featured business is Helke Funeral Home and Cremation Service, which established roots in Wausau more than 150 years ago. Helke, at 302 Spruce St., Wausau, has carried on the family tradition of caring and professional service with an experience and well-trained team, offering a sense of hope and healing for people dealing with the loss of a beloved friend or family member.

According to the organization’s files, the Helke tradition of funeral service began in 1871, when the Helke family emigrated from Germany to Wausau. August Helke and his son, Charles, made furniture and bar and store fixtures, as well as church cabinets. They started Helke Furniture Company, located at 319 Fourth Street, Wausau, in 1874. Since coffins differed little from fine upholstered furniture, the two craftsmen naturally evolved into the funeral business.

In 1926, Charles bought a home in Wausau on the site of what eventually became a downtown Wausau theater and The Fillmor, and used the space exclusively for funerals. He was among the first licensed embalmers in the state.

Charles and his son, Carl, built Wausau’s first funeral home in 1939, located at 413 Jefferson Street. By 1962, the founder’s grandsons, Charles and Richard, were part of the business, and the Helkes built a second funeral home on Wausau’s expanding west side. This remains the current site of Helke Funeral Home and Cremation Service.

Shawn M. Smith, general manager and U.S. Army Mortuary Affairs Veteran, assumed operation of both Helke and Brainard Funeral Homes in 2022, bringing 25 years of experience to the Wausau Community. Shawn is joined by office manager Le-Ann Albee, funeral director in charge Shannon Dunn, and funeral directors Kelli Trudeau and Sam Busalacci. Kristine Oullette and Jordan Aschenbrenner are funeral director apprentices, while Lisa Lanier is the group’s advance funeral planner and Calley Kelly acts as crematory technician.

Helke is oldest continually run family business in Marathon County. The funeral home has been totally remodeled and updated in 2023.

Here’s what Shawn has to say about Helke Funeral Home and Cremation Service and what they have to offer.

Photos: Helke Funeral Home and Cremation Service

What do you wish more people understood about after-life care?

In this day and age of Cremation Societies, discount and “Non Profit” Funeral Homes, Helke has invested and given back to our community for nearly 150 years. We support people in their time of loss regardless of their faith, lifestyle, or status. We believe in giving back to our community and supporting not just people in their time of loss, but also our local faith communities, in the great Wausau area. Our valued associates are living and working in our community alongside the families we serve.

In addition, Helke owns and operates its own on-site crematory so your loved one never leaves our care.

What does a funeral director actually do?

The funeral director’s job is to assist the bereaved in various ways to help them through the loss of a loved one. The following list is not all-inclusive, but it describes some of the major tasks of a funeral director: 

• Removal and transfer of your loved one from the place of death to the funeral home
• Professional care of your loved one, including embalming, casketing, and cosmetology
• Consulting with family to make arrangements for the service
• Filing certificates, permits, and other required forms
• Obtaining copies of the death certificate
• Making arrangements with a crematory and/or cemetery
• Creating and publishing the obituary
• Arranging clergy, music, flowers, transportation, pallbearers, and special fraternal or military services
• Directing and managing the service and the funeral procession
• Assisting the family with death-related claims, including Social Security, VA insurance, grief counseling

How important is pre-planning?

Planning ahead is one of the most meaningful gifts you can give your family. As individuals, we often downplay the notion of planning a funeral, ceremony, or event for ourselves; it might seem frivolous or overly extravagant. A funeral service is meant to honor your life, but just as important, it also becomes a vital part of a healthy grieving process for the family and friends who will begin to learn to live without you.

Why is it important to put plans in place before the time comes when it’s necessary to make decisions?

No matter what type of service you prefer, it is important to put plans in place now. Whether you want cremation, special music at the service, or even a certain treat served at the lunch, making arrangements in advance means you get to make the decisions. Selecting features that are meaningful to you creates a more meaningful, healing experience for your family. It also helps prevent disagreements among those trying to determine what their loved one would prefer.

Are there funding options available?

When you preplan your funeral arrangements, there are more options when it comes to funding the funeral. A preneed insurance policy, life insurance policy, or other payment option can all be arranged in advance, eliminating some of the added stress on loved ones at the time of death.

Often when a loved one dies and is cremated, family members want to hold onto the memories with a token memorial – a piece of jewelry, or another keepsake. Do you offer those to your clients? Can you give us some examples?

We offer a array of options including custom hand blown glass keepsakes, and Parting Stones, an option that was featured on Shark Tank.

What kind of aftercare does Helke provide?

Love is the root of grief. Losing someone you love hurts, and there is no right or wrong way to grieve any type of loss. Those who have experienced the death of a loved one know that grief is a complex combination of emotions that can have an overwhelming effect on you and your body.

Over time, you will begin to heal. While your journey through grief never truly comes to an end, you will experience a new normal. As always, we are here to walk through grief with you. Please reach out to us if we can be of support.

For additional grief support and guidance on all that follows the death of a loved one, please visit our Everything After and Brighter Mornings page.

We also host several grief care gatherings and events throughout the year to offer those who are grieving a chance to talk about their journey, receive support, and feel less alone. Keep reading to learn more about our group.

Tell us about the Friends Support Group.

The Friends Group was created to benefit individuals affected by the loss of a loved one. We facilitate the development of new friendships with others in the area who are also continuing on their grief journey. We gather to chat and support each other all while going on interesting tours to local sites or participating in various activities in the community.

The group is open to anyone regardless of how long ago you lost your loved one. Depending on the activity, a minor fee might be requested to offset costs. As one member states: “It is like having that extra shoulder to lean on. It is a very warm and exciting group to be a part of.”