Paul Joseph Helmar
Juneau resident Paul Joseph Helmar, 61, died Nov. 19, 2002, at Virginia Mason Hospital in Seattle from complications following heart surgery.
Helmar was born Aug. 5, 1941, in Boston, Mass., to Vincent and Aphrodite Helmar. He served in the U.S. Air Force from 1959 to 1963. He worked for Lockheed Aviation from 1965 to 1966 at the Yuma Proving Grounds on a project to develop a multi-purpose surveillance drone system for the Army Signal Corps. He worked for General Electric, Aircraft Engine Division as a field service engineer from 1966 through 1969. He was assigned to the U.S. Marine Corps in Maryland, North Carolina and at Marble Mountain in Vietnam. He spent a year with the U.S. Air Force in Northeast Thailand.
Helmar received a bachelor of arts degree in visual anthropology in 1974 from San Francisco State University, studying under John Collier. He moved to Alaska in 1974 and worked as a photographer for the Alaska Photo-History Project, documenting the building of the trans-Alaska pipeline. He later fished commercially.
He worked as a freelance photographer, selling photos to the Anchorage Daily News, Associated Press, Alaska Advocate, Juneau Empire and other news outlets. He left an extensive collection of photos of Alaska political leaders. In 1991 he purchased Juneau Photoworks, a retail photography shop.
He coached youth soccer, volunteered in his children's classrooms and was a member of the Fisherman's Fun Advisory and Appeals Board.
He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Kenneth B. Helmar.
He is survived by his wife, Kim Metcalfe, and his children Patrice Helmar and Leo Helmar. He is also survived by his brothers Leo Helmar; Vincent B. (Betty) Helmar; Ronald "Mickey" (Tilli) Helmar; and Karl (Becky) Helmar; aunts and uncles Peter Stelos; Paul and Ramona Stylos; Bill and Ginny Stylos; Eunice "Naki" and Lee Hanson; Alexandria "Mary" Muhammedin; Rose and Joe Dyer; Margie and James Flynn; and numerous nieces and nephews.
A viewing will be held Sunday, Nov. 24, at Alaskan Memorial Park Mortuary, 3839 Riverside Drive, from 2-5 p.m. A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Monday, Nov. 25, at Northern Light United Church, 400 11th St. A reception will follow, with the location to be announced.
In lieu of flowers his family asks that donations be made to the Alaska Lung Association.