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Hellman, 71, died Monday morning at
Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital. Services are at 11 a.m. Wednesday
at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Emden. Visitation is 4 to 8 p.m.
Tuesday at Holland and Barry Funeral Home and 10 to 11 a.m.
Wednesday at the church. Burial, with military rites, is in
Hartsburg Union Cemetery.
In December Hellman began his ninth
year as a member of the Logan County Board. During his entire tenure
he served on the Airport and Farm, Finance and Road and Bridge
committees. Roger Bock, who recently completed two years as Airport
and Farm chair, remembered, "He was a good mentor -- always willing
to fill me in and get me up to speed on things. We’ll miss him."
Bock noted Hellman’s long service as a
Farm Credit director and on the Logan County Farm Bureau board. "He
had friends scattered out everywhere," Bock said. "And he had a
pretty good working knowledge of agriculture."
Lloyd Hellman also had a strong sense
of humor, Bock noted: "He could be funny, but when it came time to
be serious he got down to business." Bock also remarked that Hellman
had an open mind.
Through November Doug Dutz chaired the
board Law Enforcement/ESDA Committee, on which Hellman served
beginning in 1998. "He was easy to work with," Dutz said of his
former colleague. "He’ll be missed on the board and personally. More
so personally."
Hellman served as vice chairman of the
Logan County Board from 2000 to 2002. He chaired the Road and Bridge
Committee from 2000 until his death. County engineer Tom Hickman
said Hellman took his public office seriously: "Lloyd tried to do
the best job he could in his position."
When the new county board organized in
December, Hellman was voted honorary chair. Paul Gleason, who made
the motion, said, "He had been vice chairman and was a strong
candidate for chair. Our whole background in the county is
agricultural. He represented agriculture but also the interests of
the county." Gleason remarked that Hellman was always very
straightforward with his reasons for voting on issues.
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Rod White of rural New Holland, who
served the county with Hellman from 1994 to 2002, praised his
colleague’s willingness to stand by his convictions: "He wasn’t
afraid to vote his conscience." Noting that the two had almost
identical committee assignments and held like philosophies, White
said he found it easier to work with someone who saw things in a
similar way. He described Hellman as conservative and said they
shared an understanding about how best to serve the public. He added
that Hellman had the ability to look ahead and "tried to put the
county in the best shape for the future."
In the newly instituted district
system, Hellman represented the first district. He was a proponent
of district representation and was instrumental in putting the
system in place, White said.
Board secretary JoAnne Marlin remembers
Hellman as "a good, gentle, kind person" who "always wanted to make
sure everyone was treated fairly." He was willing to ask questions
so he could make the best decision. He also "wanted to save dollars
where you could save dollars," Marlin noted.
Hellman farmed in the Atlanta, Beason,
Hartsburg and Emden areas. He was a director of the Logan County
Conservation Agency, served on the Prairie Creek Drainage District
and had sat on the Hartsburg-Emden School Board. He served in the
U.S. Army from 1952 to 1954 and was past commander of the Emden
American Legion Post.
Hellman and
his wife, the former Alberta Luken, celebrated their 50th wedding
anniversary with a trip to Niagara Falls last summer. She survives,
as do a son, Brent (and Bonnie) Hellman of Emden; a daughter, Ann
Marie (and Brian) Hilgendorf of Emden; two brothers, Norman (and
Loretta) Hellman of Emden and Don (and Donna) Hellman of Lincoln;
and three grandsons, Blaine Hellman and Taylor and Timothy
Hilgendorf. His parents and a brother, Melvin Hellman, preceded him
in death.
[Lynn
Spellman]
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