9 Jan 1978 – 14 Mar 2013
4th Great-Grandson of Philip Cardon and Martha Marie Tourn
3rd Great-Grandson of Catherine Cardon and Moses Byrne
2nd Great-Grandson of Joseph Walter Byrne and Winnifred Lenore Mumford
Great-Grandson of Ralph Lafayette Byrne and Gladys Garrett
Grandson of Ralph “Tiny” Walter and Sandra Byrne
Son of Ramona Byrne and Ken Helgerson
Paul Harland Helgerson, 35, formerly of Baker City, died March 14, 2013, at Petersburg, Va.
There will be a celebration of life service on Saturday, March 30 at 3 p.m. at the Baker County Community Event Center (old armory), 2600 East St., for all family and friends.
Private disposition of his ashes will be sometime this summer.
Paul was born on Jan. 9, 1978, to his parents, Ken and Ramona Helgerson. They could not have been more proud of their beautiful, strong, precious boy. Paul was joined by twin sisters, Alena and Janae, a year later. Paul’s youngest sister, Laura, was born when he was 11.
As Paul grew, it seemed his smile became his trademark – genuine, captivating, at times mischievous, but perfect describes it best. Paul had a wonderful sense of humor and loved to laugh. He was always a diligent student in school, wanting to do his very best. Parent-teacher conferences were always a joy for his parents to attend because of his teachers’ glowing remarks. Paul started school in Haines at the community kindergarten and graduated from Baker High School in 1996. Paul excelled in academics, graduating with an honors diploma.
Paul’s childhood included many trips to the mountains with his family. Hiking, fishing and hunting were some of his favorite activities. He loved his home next to the mountains and spent many hours exploring the area with his sisters. Sledding in the winter was always so much fun.
Paul loved baseball and proved to have a strong pitching arm. Some highlights of his baseball career were helping his Little League and American Legion teams advance to state tournaments. Paul also enjoyed playing basketball. Athletics were always a big part of family life with many hours spent at the baseball field, basketball gym and track.
In the fall of 1996 Paul started college at Eastern Oregon State University. He played on Eastern’s baseball team as a pitcher. During college he enlisted in the National Guard and then later joined the Army.
Paul’s life path led him to many obstacles that he struggled to overcome. His family and friends prayed that he could find the direction that created joy in his life that he so desperately sought.
A bright spot in Paul’s life was the birth of his son, Keyshawn Taylor. Though their time together was brief, Paul’s greatest wish was to be a loving father.
Paul is survived by his parents, Ken and Ramona Helgerson of Baker City; his sisters Alena and Janae Helgerson of Boise, and Laura Helgerson of Corvallis; his son, Keyshawn Taylor of Wilmington, N.C.,; his grandmother Sandra Byrne and grandfather Ralph (Tiny) Byrne of Baker City, and his grandmother, Jo Bias of Bend; his aunts, Valerie Morrow of La Grande and Jody Helgerson of Bend; his uncles, Kyle Byrne of Baker City and Mike Morrow of Haines; his cousins, Erica Munsey and her husband, Ryan, of Walla Walla, Tara Byrne and her husband, Nathan, of the Tri-Cities, Jake Edwards and his wife, Tiffany, of Indian Wells, Calif., Jordan Welter of North Tahoe, Nev., Zoe Carlson-Morrow of Baker City, Brock Munsey of Walla Walla, Paris, Aspen, and Brody Edwards of Indian Wells.
Paul was preceded in death by his grandfathers, Paul Frederick Helgerson and Jim Bias; and his beloved cousin, Ryan Morrow.