January 30, 1931 – September 23, 2026
William Miller Helvey was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on January 30, 1931, to James Relerford Helvey Sr. and Jesse Hazel Miller. He was welcomed by his older brother, James Relerford Helvey, Jr. Bill was born in the back of the family grocery store that his parents had built, owned, and operated for several years.
Billy spent his childhood living in different areas of St. Louis. He once wrote, “When I say “Childhood” – I smile – it conjures up a series of pleasant places, people and experiences.” He enjoyed spending time back at the family farm in Naylor, Missouri, with Grandpa and Aunt Ella, working with his father in construction, enjoying Cardinals baseball, participating in Sea Scouts, excelling in track and field, and enjoying his social life at school and church.
Bill always knew he was going to college, because he often heard his dad say, “My boys are going to college.” He said that, as a child, he didn’t know what college was, but he knew he was going! He attended Mars Hill College outside of Asheville, North Carolina, for his first two years before returning home to St. Louis to attend Washington University for the rest of college and medical school.
During his time in medical school at Barnes Hospital, he noticed an attractive nurse from across the cafeteria and quickly learned she was Grace Jones, studying anesthesia in a very elite program. He made a point of sitting close by next time he saw her, and the rest, as they say, is history. They were married in Grace’s hometown of Billings, Montana, on June 13, 1955. Driving towards Yellowstone on their honeymoon, they planned to stay in Red Lodge only to find that there was a convention in town and neither had made a hotel reservation, which became a famous family story told for more than 70 years.
Following medical school, Bill interned at Saint Louis Jewish Hospital. During this time, Bill and Grace welcomed their first son, William Kevin Helvey. Bill had a strong interest in aviation and elected to go into the Navy because the Navy offered a much better training program for flight surgeons. The young family soon relocated to Pensacola, Florida, for six months of training, during which Bill ranked at the top of his class, allowing him to have his pick of assignments; he chose to be stationed on Oahu, Hawaii, where he served with Marine pilots. In Hawaii, Bill and Grace welcomed their second son, Steven Miller Helvey. While the family was living in Hawaii, Bill was also temporarily stationed in Japan for six months during his service.
After finishing his military service, Dr. Helvey used his Navy training working with pilots to begin his dream career in the early manned space program in the emerging field of “space medicine” at Republic Aviation, which meant moving the family to Long Island, New York, where they lived for four years. He was then recruited by Lockheed to join its San Francisco Bay Area operations in 1963, where their third son, Edward Linn Helvey, joined the family. Dr. Helvey also volunteered as a civilian doctor in Vietnam in 1967, providing medical aid to those in need.
In May of 1969, he left Lockheed and started a small company to develop patient-monitoring equipment using small (for that time) computers. It was one of the first “intensive care” monitoring systems available. In 1973, he opened the San Francisco International Airport Medical Clinic, which he ran until 1977. He later started an international export business for biotech based in San Francisco’s World Trade Center, and finished his entrepreneurial endeavors with a company in Los Altos supplying medical information electronically. Bill’s career took him around the world, including the Soviet Union with NASA, which he often recounted in his later years. He never really stopped working. He was always curious and a lifelong learner, which led him to become involved in new medical innovations and to become a highly successful investor.
Bill never met a stranger. He had a way of connecting with everyone he met and would almost always make people laugh with his charm and warm personality. His children and grandchildren often remember him talking to everyone around town or on trips. By the time he finished buying a bagel, he knew about the family, education, and lineage of the person taking his order.
Bill was an innovative thinker and a lifelong learner. There was seldom a Jeopardy clue to which he didn’t know the answer…or, in the case of Jeopardy, the question. He loved geography and history and would often quiz his grandkids on U.S. history and geography topics while adding his own stories. He felt naming the eight states that border Missouri was simply foundational knowledge for any patriotic American. He also routinely shared his love and deep respect for the United States of America, often saying, “Some people say they are proud to be an American. Do you know what I say? I say I am blessed to be an American.” He memorized the Gettysburg Address and even taught himself how to freehand-draw the United States, as well as creating instructions for others to do the same on graph paper. He also loved designing things for his house and had a keen sense for architecture. His sketches were a common sight around the house.
In September of 2000, Bill started what he deemed his Great Adventure in an AirCam Experimental Airplane he built with a friend and took the call sign 123 Bravo Papa. He flew from Palo Alto Airport to Maine, Key West, Florida, and back to Palo Alto, getting home on December 30, 2000, after traveling to 45 states. While he appropriately named that trip his Great Adventure, those who look back on his 95 years might correctly consider his whole life a Great American Adventure.
Bill tenderly cared for his wife, Grace, in their later years. After suffering a stroke, his sole purpose during recovery was to get back home so that he could take care of her. Life slowed down, but Bill remained active for as long as he could, playing racquetball well into his 90s. Bill and Grace lived in their California home together, in Los Altos Hills, for over 62 years. They celebrated their 71st wedding anniversary this past June. They had five grandchildren and twelve great-grandchildren, all of whom affectionately call him “Granddad.” His family brought him tremendous joy.
As he declined, Bill was surrounded by loving family members and was well-cared for by a wonderful care team. The family would like to thank these dear women, Sela, Josie, Mel, Virginia, and Daisy, who have taken such good care of Bill and Grace these past few years so that they could remain in their home, which was so important to them.
Bill passed away peacefully in his home on September 23, 2026, at the age of 95. He will be greatly missed.
Dr. William Miller Helvey is survived by his wife, Grace Helvey; their three sons: Kevin, Steve (Alison), and Ted (Michelle), their five grandchildren: Brittany (Corbin), Michael (Annie), Savannah (Nathan), Cameron (Mckenzie), and Olivia (Clay), and their 12 great-grandchildren: Will, Gwen, Cooper, Ollie, Sam, Lyla, Jack, Simon, Russell, Que, Finn, and Haley.
