Eugene William Helmuth "Bill", 80, of Elmhurst, IL passed away peacefully on April 27, 2022.

Bill was a native Chicagoan, world traveler, opera aficionado, adventurer, and gifted storyteller. Bill was born to Mildred and Gene in March of 1942, Bill spent his early childhood years in Springfield, Missouri where his parents operated a motel. The family later returned to the Northwest side of Chicago where Bill completed his secondary and higher education. Bill graduated from Carl Schurz High School in 1960 and then pursued his undergraduate (vocal performance) and graduate (music education) degrees from Northwestern University in 1964 and 1965, respectively.

Bill was a travel adventurer. As a boy, Bill was captivated by life in foreign lands, and began cataloguing a list of places he dreamed of one day visiting. Bill was fortunate to realize his dream for travel through a successful career in direct sales, and, as Director of International Sales with Time-Life Books, he had unique access to and an insider's perspective of world cultures. As an adult, his work and passion for travel led him to live on four continents, visit 108 countries, and journey over 5,000,000 miles. Bill spent 20 years living in airplanes, taxis, and hotels and loved every aspect of travel. From crafting a new itinerary, to the excitement of arriving at the airport, Bill cherished the flight experience, meeting new people, and finding local adventures.

Bill's passion for travel was only matched by his love for classical music and opera. Bill could sing the melodies of Mozart, Puccini, Beethoven, and countless others stored in the vast repertoire of his knowledge of music. Bill loved bringing his family to concerts at Symphony Center in Chicago and treasured outdoor concerts at Ravinia and Grant Park with family and friends. One of his favorite stories to tell is that while living in Singapore in 1996, Bill proudly returned to Chicago to watch the Lyric Opera's complete Ring cycle. He saw many of the greatest singers in history on stage.

In his later years, Bill's tapped into his entrepreneurial spirit and started his own business. He presented travel lectures on arts, humanities, culture and history at libraries, schools and civic centers. Bill was passionate about his lectures as they combined his love for travel with his innate story telling abilities.

Bill dearly loved his family and is survived by daughters Laura Helmuth and Kristina (Scott) Uddenberg, grandchildren Catherine Helmuth (Sebastien Vendette), Emily Uddenberg, Benton Uddenberg, Jennifer Uddenberg, and Carrie Uddenberg. Bill will be dearly missed by his brother Richard "Dick" Helmuth and his wife Carolyn, nephew Brent Helmuth (Armida) and great-niece Sophia, niece Karen Helmuth (Terri Hague) and beloved family member John Carlson. Bill is preceded in death by his parents, Mildred and Eugene T. Helmuth.

Funeral services will be private. In lieu of flowers, the family honors Bill's enduring love of the arts by welcoming donations to Elmhurst Choral Union in Bill's honor.

https://elmhurstchoralunion.org

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