Thomas John Helms

Thomas John Helms, 76, passed away peacefully on June 23, 2022, at Albany Medical Center after a
short battle with Acute Myleloid Leukemia, surrounded by his wife and three sons.
Tom, as he was called, was born in Plattsburgh, NY, on April 27, 1946, to the late Herbert and Helen
(Lane) Helms. He graduated from Long Lake Central School in 1963 and earned his bachelor and
master’s degree in Mathematics from Clarkson University in Potsdam, NY.
He served as a Russian linguist in the United States Army earning the National Defense Service Medal,
Sharpshooter Badge (M14 Rifle), as well as the Good Conduct Medal prior to his honorable discharge
from active duty on October 24, 1969.
He married the former Julia Sandiford on June 9, 1973, and they resided in Long Lake, NY, since 1977.
Tom was the owner and operator of Helms Aero Service in Long Lake. He spent almost 50 years flying
sightseers, hunters, and fishermen in the Adirondack Mountains alongside his father and, recently, his
son (Tom). In addition, he was a member of the faculty and staff at St. Lawrence University in Canton,
NY, in the early 1980s, and owned a small computer consulting firm in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
He was a basketball enthusiast playing, coaching, and watching countless hours of the game throughout
his life. He was an active participant in the long-running Sunday night pick-up game in Long Lake. He was
also a voracious reader and enjoyed crossword and sudoku puzzles.
Tom was a past member of the Friends of the Long Lake Library Board, the Girls Scouts of Northeastern
New York Board of Directors, and the Long Lake Athletic Association Board.
He is survived by his loving wife of 49 years, Julia Helms of Long Lake, NY; three sons: Thomas (Robin)
Helms, Jr., of Arlington, VA; Andrew (Nicole) Helms of Arlington, TN; Timothy (Kate) Helms of Long Lake;
six grandchildren: Helena, Ian, Emily, Elizabeth, Kinley, and Drew; two sisters: Denise Helms and
Maureen Helms, both of Vestal, NY; several nieces, nephews, and cousins.
A visitation will be held July 11, 2022, from 9:00 – 11:30 a.m., at St. Henry’s Parish Center, 1188 Main
Street, Long Lake. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated immediately following the visitation at St.
Henry’s Catholic Church. Burial with military honors will be in Long Lake Cemetery, Long Lake.
In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully requests that contributions be made in Tom’s memory to the
Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney Long Lake Public Library (https://longlake.sals.edu/visiting-the-library), the
Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (www.lls.org), or the Stratton Veteran’s Administration Medical
Center Fisher House (www.connect.fisherhouse.org).

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