Full History

The Helke tradition of funeral service began in 1871, when the Helke family emigrated from Germany to Wausau. August Helke and his son, Charles, made furniture and bar and store fixtures, as well as church cabinets. They started Helke Furniture Company, located at 319 Fourth Street, Wausau, in 1874. Since coffins differed little from fine upholstered furniture, the two craftsmen naturally evolved into the funeral business.

In 1926, Charles bought a house in Wausau on the site of what is now The Fillmor and used it exclusively for funerals. He was among the first licensed embalmers in the state.

Charles and his son, Carl, built Wausau’s first funeral home in 1939, located at 413 Jefferson Street. By 1962, the founder's grandsons, Charles and Richard, were part of the business, and the Helkes built a second funeral home on Wausau’s expanding west side. This remains the current site of Helke Funeral Home and Cremation Service.

The team at Helke Funeral Home and Cremation Service is honored to carry on the family tradition of caring and professional service, now and far into the future.