June 27, 1939 – September 10, 2016
The family of Hewitt Helmsing wishes to announce his passing on Saturday, September 10, 2016 in Sidney, B.C. Hewitt loved his life and had a strong commitment to building community in both his beloved Regina and adopted home of Victoria and the Saanich Peninsula. Hewitt is survived by his wife Gay, children Shaunalee (Steve) Puszkar, Bruce (Kim), Heather Plank, and Clayton, grandchildren Seanna and Mirela Puszkar, Christopher Helmsing, Ethan and Colton Plank. He is also survived by special nieces and nephews, extended family and friends. At a very young age his commitment to community service earned him the Outstanding Young Canadian Award for 2 consecutive years. This led him to become the youngest councillor to ever be elected to Regina City Council at the age of 24. He served in the greater community in many capacities and on numerous boards. After moving to the Victoria area in 1996, he immediately became involved by serving as the Chairman of the Victoria Dragon Boat Society and was instrumental in contributing to its success. Hewitt was awarded a lifetime achievement award for his service. In Sidney, Hewitt became the Chairman of the Peninsula Celebration Society, lending his innovative hand to all of the major celebrations on the Saanich Peninsula. Of his many roles, Hewitt’s most cherished was his role as Santa Claus in the annual Christmas Parade. One of Hewitt’s greatest joys was serving as a BC Marriage Commissionaire for 10 years. During that period Hewitt could be seen most weekends, in his blue suit on beaches, mountains, boats,chapels and gardens performing a personalized service containing special selected pieces of poetry. Professionally, Hewitt’s true love was health care. As a result, he became the Chairman of the Regina General Hospital and eventually assumed the role of CEO of Saskatchewan Health Care. During that period in the 70’s and 80’s, Saskatchewan was the Canadian innovator of many new and exciting programs in the field of health care. Hewitt was called upon as a national resource. For fifteen years Hewitt served as Chairman of the Regina Housing Authority. During that period he worked closely with the Federal Government to improve the quality of Seniors’ Housing and to build and improve on the housing for low income families to the point of winning a national award for its innovative approach. Hewitt was a serious student in the field of politics. It did not matter the level of politics [Federal, Provincial or Municipal]. He was a Liberal in the truest sense, however he saw politics as a way to get things done and was often seen working across party lines to accomplish a goal such as seniors and low income housing or health care initiatives. During his lifetime Hewitt also left his mark on many areas of the Regina and BC funeral profession. He owned and operated Helmsing Funeral Chapel in Regina and continued his work building First Memorial in Saanich, BC. He was recognized in both provinces with lifetime achievement awards. Hewitt loved life, his community, his many friends, and family. He will be deeply missed. Special thanks to Dr. Cadger for his years of care and encouragement. A Celebration of Hewitt’s Life will be held on Saturday, September 17th at 2 p.m. at First Memorial Funeral Chapel, 4725 Falaise Drive, Victoria, BC.