John P. Helfrich, 76, a decorated World War II veteran and president of Helfrich Laboratories Inc., a cosmetics manufacturer that later merged with Rose Laboratories of Joliet, died Thursday in Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield.
Mr. Helfrich, a resident of Wheaton, succeeded his father as president of the manufacturing company and was past president and honorary member of the Chicago Perfumery, Soap and Extract Association.
While serving with the 42nd Infantry Division in World War II, Mr. Helfrich participated in the Battle of the Bulge and in the liberation of the concentration camp at Dachau.
“He didn’t make much of either one of his medals, and in fact would never tell anybody why he won them,” his son, Cole, said of Mr. Helfrich’s medals, which included the Purple Heart and Bronze Star. “He denied until recently that he had even been wounded, and in fact he was wounded twice.
“He refused tell to his death why he was given the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart,” Cole Helfrich said. “He felt that he had done what he had to do. He refused veteran benefits. He said the government never owed him anything.”
Mr. Helfrich was a honorary life member and past president of Wheaton Drama Inc., which his parents and grandparents helped found as the Wheaton Drama Club.
“In the 1960s, he became its president and, being business-minded, he fought to have the organization incorporated so they could buy their own building. They were always fighting for venues and they had for years. So my father said we need our own place and the only way to do that is to incorporate. And now it is quite a successful organization.”
Mr. Helfrich also was given an honorary life membership in the DuPage Art League.
“My mother was the artist in family and one of the earliest members, and he was sort of the league’s business adviser,” said Cole Helfrich. “And again the league kept going from rented space to space and he believed the way to do it was to buy a building.
“So my parents mortgaged their house to buy the art league’s original building.”
When that older site was torn down, his parents again used their house as collateral to buy the league’s present site on Front Street.
Besides his son, survivors include two daughters, Elsa Concannon and Paula Russel; two sisters; and three grandchildren.
Visitation will be from 3 to 9 p.m. Sunday in the Hultgren Funeral Home, 304 N. Main St., Wheaton. Services will be held at 1 p.m. Monday in Trinity Episcopal Church, 130 N. West St., Wheaton.
