Edwin "John" Helmon III passed away on Saturday, October 28th at the age of 59 in Colima, Mexico, after a short but courageous battle with Melanoma. John was born in Cleveland, Ohio on June 4th, 1964, and moved with his family to Emmett, Idaho at the age of 6. John graduated from Seattle University in 1986 and moved to New York City. After a few years, he returned to the Seattle area with his family and set down roots, working at Microsoft for almost 20 years. In 2022, he and his beloved wife, Anja, embarked on a new adventure and moved to Manzanillo, Mexico, with plans to build their dream home.

John was a devoted husband, father, son, brother, and friend with a kind heart and a silly sense of humor. He was a lover of all music, the outdoors, and an avid reader who discovered his own passion for writing later in life. John enjoyed cooking, traveling, and the strategy of a good poker game. He will be greatly missed by those who relied on him for his strength, honesty, dependability, generosity, and wisdom.

John is survived by his wife of 15 years, Robyn "Anja" Helmon; children Alyssa Helmon, Chris Helmon, Samuel Goshu, and Corine Baone; mother Mary "Fay" Helmon; siblings Amy (Scott) Turner and Thomas (Laura) Helmon; nieces, nephews; and Victoria Bishop, the mother of Alyssa and Chris. John is preceded in death by his father, Edwin "Ed" John Helmon, Jr..

John was a passionate volunteer in both his church and his community, a lifelong blood donor, a strong advocate for social justice, and active in refugee communities. With that in mind, memorial donations may be made to the following organizations that were particularly close to his heart: Intercommunity Peace & Justice Center (ipjc.org) or Refugees Northwest, a program of Lutheran Community Services Northwest (lcsnw.org/program/refugees-northwest-2/).

We all love you so much, John. We miss you, Dad. Rest in Peace.

A public memorial service for John will be held on Sunday, November 12th at 3:00PM at Holy Spirit Lutheran Church, 10021 NE 124th St, Kirkland, WA 98034. A coffee reception will follow the service. A live-stream will also be available for those unable to attend in-person: https://vimeo.com/881872918