Helen Elaine Berklan

Helen E. Berklan (nee Froelich), age 91, of Vernon Hills, formerly of Waukegan, IL, passed away on Thursday, April 16, 2026. She enjoyed a life full of bringing smiles to other people’s faces, whether it was loved ones she doted over, the several thousand school children she influenced, or friends and acquaintances, even down to her final weeks in rehab and health facilities.

She is survived by her devoted children, Lynn (David) Surico and Jim (Sandy) Berklan; her precious grandchildren, Nikki (Drew) Wilkerson, Matt (Katie) Berklan, Zack Surico, and Nick (Amy) Berklan; and great-grandchildren Violet and Grant Wilkerson; along with many cherished nieces, nephews and cousins, as well as very dear friend Zuzanna “Suze” Lukasik of Poland.

Helen was preceded by her beloved husband of 44 years, Martin Berklan; her parents John and Lillian (Schwaegerman) Froelich; and her loving sister, Lois Baker, as well as a nephew and three nieces.

Her mother’s family was originally from Chicago, while her father, the oldest of four sons, was from the Froelich family that had farming roots back to 1870s Lake Zurich and produced proud farmers, business operators and civic leaders known throughout Ela Township and Lake County.

Helen spent all but the last nine years of her life in Waukegan and was a proud graduate of Waukegan Township High School (Class of 1952). In 1956, she graduated with a degree in elementary education from Illinois State University. That is where she also met her future husband, Marty, who grew up on the Southeast Side of Chicago and had played football at California and Idaho colleges before finishing his degree in elementary education at ISU in 1955.

Helen taught kindergarten at a handful of Waukegan grade schools from the 1950s to the 1990s, among them Oakwood, North, Clearview and Glenwood. With Marty also teaching in the Waukegan schools after their marriage in 1957 and then eventually becoming principal of Whittier School until the late 1980s, they were pillars in the Waukegan Public Schools system.

She was a long-time member of St. John’s United Church of Christ in Waukegan, dating back to its days on West Street downtown and later at the west side McAree Road location that her father helped establish. She taught Sunday school for many years and volunteered in many other capacities there throughout the years.

She was an excellent bowler in local leagues, making many friends along the way. She was an active member in a variety of other community, social and fraternal groups, particularly the American-Croatian Waukegan Tamburitzans organization, where she supported her husband and children’s musical and cultural activities by working Friday night fish fries and taking part in other activities.

One of her last educational and professional achievements was earning her master’s degree in early childhood education from National Louis University, which she completed in 1990 while also caring for her husband, who had suffered a debilitating stroke a year prior.

A public visitation will be held on Friday, April 24, 2026, from 5-8 p.m. Marsh Funeral Home, 305 N. Cemetery Rd, Gurnee, IL. Visitation will continue at 9 a.m. Saturday, April 25, and be followed immediately by a funeral service at 10 a.m. (also at Marsh). Interment will then take place at North Shore Garden of Memories, 1801 N. Green Bay Road, North Chicago.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Fill a Heart 4 Kids (www.fillaheart4kids.org), an Illinois-based nonprofit that provides homeless, at-risk and foster children with essential supplies, food, life skills and educational support.