William J. Helf

He is survived by his wife, Ellen Helf (57) and his two sons, John Helf (30) and Jacob Helf (28), all of whom live in Birmingham.

Bill and Ellen met in youth ministry in 1982. The couple spent their first few years of marriage in Wisconsin. It was during this time that Bill discovered his love for physics, as this was his first opportunity to teach it. After Ellen’s second winter in the snow, she decided it was time to return to the south. It wasn’t long before they were both settled, teaching in the Homewood city school system, Ellen a reading specialist at Shades Cahaba Elementary, and Bill a science teacher at Homewood High School.

In the years that followed, Bill began the AP Physics program at HHS. He had a true passion, not only for the discipline of physics, but also for the students he taught. He always believed that the subject of physics not only teaches us about the physical world, but it also points to the One who created it. In this way, he let his Christian faith implicitly shine through his relationships and his teaching.

Another quality of Bill’s that defined him was his sense of humor. His students absolutely loved coming to class every day, because he was not only a great teacher, but he was also hilarious. He was known for his edgy physics problems that he created in which cats became projectiles as they were launched out of a cannon. This sense of humor and the joy he exuded spilled over to his family, coworkers, church community, and anybody he ran into.

Regarding his favorite hobbies, Bill loved to go bass fishing, travel, eat, and attend and coach his sons’ sporting events.

In 2008, Bill began a new chapter of his life after a fatal heart attack left him without oxygen for around ten minutes until he was brought back by the EMTs. This left him with an anoxic brain injury that left him with short-term memory loss. He retired shortly after, and Ellen took care of him until his very last days.

The changes that occurred during his minutes without oxygen stripped him down to the fundamental parts of him. He never lost sight of the hope he had in Jesus, and he always carried himself with joy and contentment. He never stopped bringing a smile to those around him until the day he passed.

There will be a celebration of his life at 2PM on March 11, 2023 at Crossbridge Church of Christ at 3039 Brook Highland Parkway.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Homewood City Schools Foundation, who always supported him throughout his time as a teacher.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.ridoutsvalleychapel.com for the Helf family.