Rochelle — John E. Helfrich, of Rochelle died on Sunday, Jan. 14, 2018 at Serenity Hospice and Home in Oregon after a long illness.  He was born on Feb. 17, 1942 in Dixon, to Elwin and Althea Rucker Helfrich.
He attended Rochelle Township High School. He married Joyce Baker on Jan. 4, 1964 in Rochelle. He owned and operated John Helfrich Trucking and Excavating in Rochelle from 1959 to 2007.   
He is survived by his son, John “Skeet” (Jennifer) Helfrich of Rochelle; three grandchildren, Kelly, Jeffrey and Kyle Helfrich, all of Rochelle; his aunt, Patti (Marion) Mann of Rochelle; an uncle, Raymond Helfrich of Dixon; two nieces, Lori (Kevin) Miller of Rochelle and Jennifer (Shannon) Zierke of Cedar Falls, Iowa, and a nephew, David (Mary) Helfrich of Rochelle; his significant other, Tami Rhea and her family.
He loved a good cup of coffee, some cookies and talking with his friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents, and his brother, James Helfrich.   
A memorial gathering will be held for his friends at Salt 251 in Rochelle on Saturday, Jan. 20 from 1 to 4 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Serenity Hospice and Home of Oregon or the Rochelle Area Community Foundation.
Cremation care is being provided by the Unger Horner Funeral Home.  An online guest book is available at www.UngerHorner.com.