On Wednesday, September 2, 2026, Alison Helland passed away. She had been battling colon cancer for five years with strength, great bravery and hope. The victory she was seeking was not to be hers. Alison kept her cancer diagnosis a secret from most who knew her. She wanted to be recognized for who she was and not for the disease she had. During these five years, with the help of Dr. Dustin Deming and his outstanding staff at the UW Carbone Cancer Clinic, she managed to travel internationally, work diligently, volunteer her skills and dedicate herself to others while living a full life along with all the medical treatments required of her. She matured into a kind, caring, smart, witty, energetic woman who went on to make an impact on the lives of those who knew her.

Alison was born in Madison, WI on February 28, 1978. She attended elementary school in Monona, then on to Van Hise Middle School and Madison West High School. Her education continued at The University of Wisconsin Madison where she majored in International Business and Spanish. After receiving her bachelor’s degrees, Alison worked in a law office and soon decided she wanted to become a lawyer. Ali attended the University of Iowa Law School to receive her JD degree and followed that by earning an LLM degree from Northwestern University in 2006. Alison worked at the Murphy Desmond firm in Madison in association with Atty. Bill Mundt. Later she worked at the Boardman Firm in Madison in close association with Atty. Frank Sutherland. In 2021 Alison joined the staff at the Madison Community Foundation where she worked until her death.

Following the law, advocating for equality, being honest in all business transactions and being a decent person were hallmarks of her quest to make this a better world. Right vs. wrong mattered. She bid all of us to make a difference and fight the good fight

Alison is survived by her devoted parents, Steven and Elizabeth Helland, and her cherished brother, Andrew. She is further survived by many dear friends with a special shout-out to Amy Dallman who stayed at her side the last eleven days of Ali’s life. She is also survived by many loving aunts, uncles and cousins in the Madison area and around our beautiful country. She was preceded in death by her grandparents Ernest and Anne Panthofer and N. Jerome and Marian Helland, her aunt Kris Laine and her cousin Phillip Panthofer.

A visitation will be held on Friday, September 18, at Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church, 401 S. Owen Drive from 9:30-11am. A Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11 am.   Please share your memories of Alison below.

In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to:

Madison Community Foundation ,111 Fairchild Street, Madison, WI 53703

WI Law Foundation ,5302 Eastpark Blvd. Madison, WI 53718

Special Olympics Wisconsin ,6582 Ronald Reagan Ave., Madison, WI 53704

The Carbone Cancer Center

Cress Funeral & Cremation Services

3610 Speedway Rd    Madison

608-238-3434