Helen Laura Pauline Wachholz Messerschmidt

Helen Laura Pauline Messerschmidt (née Wachholz), age 96, of Barrington, Illinois, passed away peacefully on January 2, 2025. She was born on September 23, 1928, to the late Elizabeth (née Krentz) and the Reverend Conrad John Stephen Wachholz. Helen was the devoted wife of the Reverend Lester Paul Messerschmidt for 42 years; the beloved mother of Paul Steven (Julie), John Frederick (Christine), and James Martin (Kris); and a loving grandmother to David (Margot), Laura (Nick) Leduc, Sarah, Elizabeth, and Andrew Messerschmidt. Helen was preceded in death by her husband, Lester, and siblings: Paul Wachholz, John Wachholz, Magdalene Dumke, Edward Wachholz, Elenore Pipes, Mary Wachholz, and Ruth MacPhail. 

Helen attended a one-room school house and was a spelling bee champion. She graduated in 1946 as valedictorian from Darby High School in Chuckery, OH. Helen received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Valparaiso University in 1951. After college, she was an editor for the St. Louis Post Dispatch and for McGraw Hill school textbooks. 

Helen met her husband, Lester, in Westfield, WI, and they were married July 12, 1953, after he graduated from Concordia Lutheran Seminary in St. Louis, MO. Together they raised their three sons and lived in Summit, NJ; Dix Hills, NY; Hampton, VA; and Lake in the Hills, IL.  

Helen was an educator for over 25 years and taught preschool at St. Luke Lutheran Church (Dix Hills, NY), first grade at Emmanuel Lutheran School (Hampton, VA), and English at Long Island Lutheran High School (Brookville, NY).  

Helen enjoyed travel and made numerous trips to Europe and the Holy Land. She also had the opportunity to sail with her sister and brother-in-law on the Queen Elizabeth II ocean liner. She sang with the Chicago Master Singers and participated in a European concert tour. Her lifelong enjoyment of literature led her to spend a summer studying at Oxford University in England.  

Those who knew Helen would describe her as kind, loving, faithful, and witty. She was always quick with a joke, involved in writing and literary clubs, participated in Bible studies, and enjoyed playing the piano up to the last week of her life. Helen’s unwavering Christian faith guided her life. As a devoted mother of three and grandmother of five, Helen instilled her strong values and religious beliefs in her family. 

Visitation will be held on Friday, January 24, from 3-8 p.m. at Davenport Family Funeral Home and Crematory, 941 S. Old Rand Rd, Lake Zurich, IL. Visitation will continue the following day from 10 a.m. until the time of funeral service at 11 a.m. at St. Matthew Lutheran Church, 24500 N. Old McHenry Rd, Hawthorn Woods, IL 60047. Interment will be at 10 a.m. on Monday, January 27 at East Cemetery, Westfield, WI.  

The family wishes to thank the staff of Lake Barrington Woods, Auberge Lake Zurich, Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital, and Journey Care for the outstanding care she received toward the end of her life.  

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Valparaiso University, https://give.valpo.edu. 

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” - John 11:25