Memorial service for Former Concord Mayor Dan Helix held at Pavilion service

Concord, California – A memorial service for former Concord Major Dan Helix was held on June 26 at Concord Pavilion.

Former Major Dan Helix died at 91-years-old on March 9th this year.

Hundreds of people attended at the service.

The service, begun with full U.S. Army military honors in recognition of his 41 years of both active duty and in the Army Reserve after enlisting as a private in 1948, featured a gun salute with many decorated officers in the audience.

Helix served as mayor of Contra Costa’s largest city twice, with almost four decades separating the two terms. His lists of civic accomplishments would take up pages of copy.

Former Concord Council colleague and long-time City Treasurer Tom Wentling used The Dash poem by Linda Ellis to recount the significance of his friend and neighbor’s life between his 1929 birth and passing this year.

In particular, Wentling mentioned the 39 years Helix was a member of the Rotary Club of Concord, where he encouraged his club members to grow their endowment to $1 million, a goal that at the time  was thought to be completely unattainable. Wentling says that endowment now sits at $1.3 million, allowing the service club to assist in many community efforts annually.