Helen Vukelich

Madison - Helen Louise Gutensohn Frisbie Vukelich, age 86, died expectedly, in the early morning hours of October 3rd, 2015, with her five children at her side, singing the songs of her adored Pete Seeger. Helen was born on December 5, 1928 in Dawn, Missouri to Martha Kinsey Gutensohn and Samuel Gutensohn and spent her childhood in her beloved town of Monticello, Iowa, where her leadership qualities emerged as she started her own neighborhood newspaper. She attended Beloit College where she met her first husband, Frank Frisbie. She and Frank had two children, Susan and Jimmy (who died as a young child). Frank died from complications related to polio, and Helen and Susan were on their own for several years. Helen later married George Vukelich and they had four more children. Helen and George, active in Madison politics, opened their home both as a shelter in the political storms of Madison and a brewing ground for social action throughout the years.

Helen's impact on Madison was considerable. Her tireless commitment to social justice and a better world for all led to her key role in the campaign for fair housing in Madison in the early 1960s. She served on the Madison Police and Fire Commission during the time when the city finally hired Madison's first women firefighters, as well as Madison's first police officers and firefighters of color. She was a founding member of the Friends of the South Madison Neighborhood Center, and a strategic player in countless political campaigns. As a leader at the First Congregational Church, Helen was an important voice in calling for a prison ministry, now an established program of the Church. She was long involved in the League of Women Voters, the Madison branch of the NAACP, the Urban League Guild and was a faithful supporter of UMOJA magazine.

In her long-time position as an aide to US Representative Bob Kastenmeier, Helen made connections that last to this day and offered immeasurable support to constituents on a variety of issues ranging from families fighting against the toxic fall-out of Agent Orange to the contra war in Nicaragua to small farmers in south central Wisconsin trying to keep their feet on the ground. Her office welcomed all, as evidenced by her extraordinary "women's wall" and her firm belief that all voices counted. Cutting through red tape to ensure that somebody got their benefits, or had their voice heard on the floor of Congress, was a victory for her and she so often did prodigious amounts of work to exact those victories, however seemingly small. Her instincts and intuition led her to the right side of so many issues, and she did not worry about whether her stands were popular or not - her first concern was always justice. She was a constant supporter--really, a co-conspirator--in the work her husband, George did for so many years in the Madison community, from serving as the unofficial producer of his radio shows, standing with him and his fellow strikers against Madison newspapers and the founding of the Madison Press Connection, and in his days as an Isthmus columnist. She also served as a judicious and exacting editor for his many writings over the years.

Helen had an extraordinary ability to connect with people and listen and laugh with them. Her joy and sense of humor were legendary and she loved the weirdness and silliness of daily life. She was a mentor to many younger people in Madison over the years and made so many feel that anything was possible.

Helen's boundless love enveloped her family and she was delighted as it grew and brought her new grandchildren and great-grandchildren. In her later years, she spent many hours watching her grandchildren at sporting or school-related events and served as a grandmother figure to many kids whose grandparents were far away. Even as she became increasingly frail, her sharp interest in all things political remained and she had
much to say about the current state of affairs in Wisconsin and the country as a whole.

She will be deeply missed by her family and the many, many friends she has left behind.

Helen was preceded in death by her parents; the two loves of her life, Frank Frisbie and George Vukelich; and her precious son, Jimmy; along with relatives and dear friends.

She is survived by her daughters Susan, Martha (George Austin), Donna (Claudio Selva) and Jo (Dan Uhlir), all of Madison; son Vince (Sue Conwell) of Milwaukee; grandchildren: Sam (Kerri), Kate, Bess and Ben (Gabby) Austin; Jorge (Myra Castañeda) and Joaqué��n Selva; Taylor and Tyler Vukelich; and her great-grandsons Will and Evan Austin. She is further survived by sister Sylvia (Dale) Ball of Albuquerque, New Mexico; brother Jim "Gerry" Gutensohn (Joanne Kaufman) of Fox-Amphoux France; sisters-in-law Ann Cottingham of Mora, Minnesota and Devona Edinger of Woodstock, Illinois; nieces and nephews: David, Janet, Julie, Sara, Alexandra, Kimm, Steve, Alan, Greg, Hugh, Ellen, Kent and their families. She is also survived by Kinsey and Gutensohn cousins including first cousin Marianne Kellman, who introduced her to George. Helen would have wanted you to know that her grandchildren and great-grandchildren are perfect.

The family would like to express their appreciation to the staffs at Hebron Oaks at Oakwood Village University Woods, Agrace HospiceCare and Segoe Gardens Assisted Living for their care in helping our mother navigate her last years.

A celebration of Helen's life will be held on Saturday, November 14, 2015 at 2 pm at the First Congregational Church, 1609 University Avenue, Madison followed by a gathering time to share memories with family and friends. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County, 1818 West Beltline Highway, Madison WI 53713 ( www.bgcdc.org/get-involved/donate ) or Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, Attn: Development, 302 N. Jackson Street, Milwaukee WI 53202 ( www.ppwi.org/donate).



Cress Funeral and Cremation Service
3610 Speedway Road
Madison, WI 53705
608-238-3434