Shelba Maxine Helmle

February 27, 1941 - March 24, 2022

Shelba Maxine Helmle, 81, of Kankakee, passed away on Thursday, March 24, 2022, at Prescence St. Mary’s Hospital. She was born on February 27, 1941, in Esterville, Iowa, the daughter of Merle Hausner and Maxine Murphy. On September of 1983, Shelba married Ted Helmle in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Shelba was a cake decorator and owned her own craft shops, Bare Hill Cabin Crafts in Trego, WI, and The Family Affair in Irwin, IL. She was a member of Relay for Life, the Women’s Lions Club, and St. Paul’s Lutheran Church. Shelba loved her crafts and relaxing with a good book. She is survived by her daughters, Dianna (Paul) McDaniel, Dana Helmle, and Amy Helmle; her grandchildren, Aphten Hejny, Zach Mulliken, Patience Wooldridge, Natalia Verdoza, and Felipe Verdoza; 6 great-grandchilden, numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins; her lifelong friend, Judy Hisel; her friend, Monica; and 2 special friends, Cindy Pippin and Valerie Lynn. Shelba is preceded in death by her husband, her daughter, Tina Harris; her grandson, Dustin Welker; her brothers, Lester Hull and Roger Murphy; and her sister, Kathy Harling. There will be a Celebration of Life for her at a later date in the summertime.