Ed Hellegers passed away in his sleep at his home in Germantown, WI at age 86. Ed was born in Passaic, New Jersey to Martha & John Hellegers. He was the middle child of three boys and loved growing up with his brothers in Clifton, NJ. One of the favorite activities of his youth was competing in Road Rallies with his younger brother Bob, where he got to use his excellent navigation skills to assist Bob as the driver.
He attended Montclair State College, earning a Bachelor’s degree in Economics with a business minor. He earned his Master’s degree in Economic History from the University of Pennsylvania. Ed began his career as an educator teaching at Chatham Jr. High School, Irvington High School and Millburn High School in New Jersey. He also continued his studies doing summer programs at Bucknell University, NYU, Tufts University and Princeton. Ed loved learning and decided to pursue his studies further.
He moved to Wisconsin in 1968 to work on his doctorate at UW-Madison and this event set the course for the rest of his life. While studying & working as a teaching assistant, a certain librarian caught his attention. A mutual friend helped to set him up on a date with Connie Spring, who would become his wife and the love of his life. Ed & Connie married on July 1, 1972 in Monroe, WI. At the same time, Ed began working as an instructor at Madison Area Technical College (now Madison College) where he taught Economics & Sociology for the next 30 years. Ed was involved in the Teacher’s Union for many years and served on the City of Madison Planning Commission. He also coached and reffed soccer, and proudly supported his children in all of their extracurricular activities.
Ed loved to take his family out for a scenic drive on the backroads, and enjoyed exploring a new route to get to any destination, whether it was dinner out at a new restaurant, a trip to Harrington State Park or a vacation to Michigan. He loved trains and enjoyed sharing that love with his family and even got to enjoy a trip with Connie on the Agawa Canyon Tour Train to Canada.
Of the many roles Ed had during his life, his favorite title was that of “Grandpa”. He treasured his time with his grandchildren, happily making the drive from Madison to Sussex or Minnesota to spend time with them. He & Connie attended as many sporting events, concerts, recitals and other milestones as they could. Ed was so incredibly proud of each of his grandchildrens’ accomplishments and loved hearing about what they were doing – earning awards, heading off to college, and starting their first jobs. One of his last special moments was getting to see his grandson Joe graduate from UW-Milwaukee.
Ed will always be remembered for his quick wit and vast knowledge of history & politics. We couldn’t have asked for a better husband, father and grandfather and we know things will never be quite the same without him. He will remain in our hearts always, and we’ll know he is with us whenever we hear a corny pun or a “dad” joke.
Ed is survived by his wife, Constance Hellegers; his children Kristin (Mike) Kebis of Sussex, WI and Peter (Becca) Hellegers of Andover, MN; and his four grandchildren Tyler Kebis, Joe Kebis, Grace Hellegers and Sam Hellegers. He is further survived by his brother Bob (Patty) Hellegers and brothers & sisters-in-law, Enid (Tom) Waldhart, Ernie “Jim” Spring (Carol Jones) and Bill (Ginny) Spring and many nieces, nephews and cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents John & Martha Hellegers and his brother John C. Hellegers.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to Ed’s family and will be used to establish a scholarship at Madison College and also go to Ed’s church, Lutheran Church of the Living Christ.
Visitation will be held on Friday, December 27th from 9:30-10:30am followed by a funeral service at 10:30am at Lutheran Church of the Living Christ in Germantown, WI. There will be a luncheon immediately following the service. A private entombment for immediate family will happen later that day.
