James Conrad Helm (Jim) was born in Cleveland, Ohio on October 22, 1939 to Roy and Martha Helm.  He was the little brother of Patricia (Helm) Pfaff and they were raised together in Toledo, Ohio.  When he was in high school, he spent some time living in Brazil with his mother and father and this spurred in him a lifelong love of travel.  He graduated from Woodward High School in 1957 and decided to go to the University of Toledo to pursue an Engineering degree.  He ultimately graduated with a degree in Education with a focus in Mathematics after the University of Toledo closed down the Engineering department.   After graduating college, he moved to Ft. Lauderdale, FL, and became a Broward County School teacher.  After a year of teaching and a teacher's strike, he put his teaching career behind him and decided to put his energy into building a business around one of the loves of his life, golf.   He met, Mary Lynn Potter in 1968, and after a whirlwind romance, they were married on February 14, 1969.  Jim started Top Flight Golf with Lynn's support from the living room of their Lauderhill apartment.  That business would grow into a store front pro shop of the same name on Oakland Park Blvd which Jim ran with the help of close friends for many years.  In the back room he would fix clubs and put on new grips for customers both famous and not.  The signature panel of all the famous customers being cut out of the wall as a memento when the shop finally closed.  From the shop, Jim, created a new business, International Golf, where he combined his love of golf and his love of scuba diving, hiring divers to collect golf balls from the lakes on courses to be cleaned and resold.

In the middle of all this, Jim and Lynn, became parents welcoming James Arthur (Jimmy) in 1973 and Kimberly Anne (Kim) in 1976.  Jim cherished being a father and took this role very seriously.  He served as a calm and steadfast support to his children, guiding them through life's growing pains from childhood through adulthood with kindness and love.  His guidance and gentle nature provided an example to them of how to live life with integrity and openness to all experiences.  They loved him very much in return and can't imagine how life will be without him.  Jim also welcomed Carol Vogt and her beautiful family, husband, Michael, and daughters, Isabel and Miranda, into ours in 1997 after Lynn searched for and found Carol whom she had given up for adoption in 1964.  They filled Jim and Lynn's lives with great joy.  He loved having Isabel and Miranda over for sleepovers where they would swim, make fudge and watch movies sitting in his lap.   Jim became a grandfather  when Wilder James Schwich-Helm was born in 2010 to Kim and her husband, Andy.  He loved teaching him to fish, play golf and hit a baseball as he grew up.  In the last few years, Jim was Wilder's biggest fan at his performances in musical theater productions.  Jim became a grandfather again in 2013 when Jimmy married Tracy Smith and we welcomed her children Sydney, Cade, Aiden and Harry into our family. He loved being able to watch them grow into the amazing adults they are have become.

In 2015, Jim lost his beloved wife, Lynn, after 46 years of marriage spent raising kids, working hard to support their family, many memorable family vacations, retirement and then a move to Central Florida. All of this done with great love and intention on joy and family.

He spent the last 10 years continuing to live life with gentle kindness and joy.   In 2017, he met Paula Carr, who shared the last 8 years with him.  Together they embarked on many cruises and travels, played trivia with friends, golfed, and played billiards.  Jim lived a busy and joyful life to the end.

Jim is survived by his loving children and their families, James and Tracy Helm of Kure Beach, NC, Kim Helm and Andrew Schwich of Gainesville, FL, Carol and Michael Vogt of Boca Raton, FL and NY, NY.   Grandchildren, Wilder Schwich-Helm, Sydney Smith Martin, Cade Smith Martin, Aiden Smith Martin (Maddie), & Harrison Smith Martin, Isabel Vogt (Eric Larsen) and Miranda Vogt.

Jim was also greatly loved by his extended family and friends. He will always be remembered by his sister, Pat Pfaff and her children as a loving brother and uncle. Throughout his life he also had a special bond with his in laws, the Potter family, and he will be greatly missed by his brothers and sisters in law, and his many nieces and nephews on that side of the family.  He also built many life-long friendships that he cherished including Tom and Sharon Gryzwinski, Glenn Holmes, and Bill Arps, among many others throughout his life.

A celebration of life memorial service will be held at the Horizon Center of Spruce Creek in Summerfield, Florida on June 7, 2025 at 12:30pm with a reception to follow.   In lieu of flowers, please consider making donations in Jim's name to the following organizations: https://firsttee.org/get-involved/ways-to-give/tribute-gifts/ or https://www.floridareef.org/donate .  Arrangements entrusted with BALDWIN BROTHERS Funeral & Cremation Society-Spanish Springs, 352-430-1449.  Sentiments are encouraged at www.baldwincremation.com .