Susan Ellen Helminski, affectionately known as Susie, passed away surrounded by her loving family on December 20, 2025.
Born on April 17, 1966, daughter of Gerald and Mary Jean Aspatore; Susie grew up in Fond du Lac, WI, and graduated from Goodrich High School.
She went on to attend McConnell Travel School in Minneapolis, launching a 10-year career as a travel agent.
She worked at Madison College for almost 30 years, where her dedication and warmth left a lasting impression. Susie spent most of her life in the Madison Area, raising her family in Sun Prairie, WI.
Susie’s passion for travel included trips to Europe, Hawaii, island hopping in the Caribbean, and most recently an Alaskan cruise with her husband, Gerard. Family trips to Disney, Mexico, and skiing in Colorado. Countless memories created at the family’s lake home in Eagle River, WI, where she enjoyed fishing, kayaking, snowshoeing, and boating on the chain. You could find her with a cup of coffee on the dock in the morning listening to the loons, keeping an eye on “our” eagles who made their home in a neighboring tree, having dinner on the deck rain or shine, and making s’mores by a cozy fire under the stars.
Family was of the utmost importance to Susie. She is lovingly survived and remembered by her husband, Gerard; her children, Josh (Paige) Helminski and Jenny (Cesar) Talavera; her cherished granddaughter, Charlotte Susan, born to Josh and Paige January 2025; her parents, Gerald and Mary Jean Aspatore; her sisters, Jean (Gary) Merrill and Lori Werdin; our Doodle, Ollie; and all those who shared in her wonderful life.
A celebration of Susie’s life will be held this spring 2026. In honor of her memory, donations can be made to Breast Cancer Recovery at bcrecovery.org/donations
Susie’s beautiful smile, sweet spirit, joyful heart, and loving presence will be deeply missed but forever remembered by those who knew her.
