Troy Helmick

​On February 20, 2018 the Canton Church community lost one of our most beloved members - Troy Helmick.  Troy and his wife Shirley were long time members of the Canton Church Restoration, Inc, board, where they were very active and contributed greatly to the restoration and maintenance of the church as well as volunteering their time organizing the summer events.

​Even after Troy and Shirley resigned their positions on the board they always attended the Canton Church events.  Troy was a native of West Virginia and a long standing tradition at the Canton Church was for local musicians performing in the Church to play "County Roads" for Troy.  We intend to continue that tradition at the Canton Church in honor of an outstanding man.

​Troy was very active in the community -- his list of accomplishments is very long (click on Troy Helmick to read more about Troy) and Troy's love of history and preserving history was second only to his love for his family. Troy and Shirley helped found the Crimson Bluff Chapter of the Lewis and Clark Heritage Trail Foundation.  Troy's love of Montana's cultural landscape led to a fascination with archeology. Troy, Shirley and the entire Helmick family amassed an extensive private collection of Native American artifacts collected exclusively in Broadwater County. Troy donated his collection of more than 6,000 artifacts to the Montana State Historic Preservation Office. His collection is now a permanent archive at the Billings Curation Center.

​The Canton Church community joins all of Townsend and Broadwater County in celebrating the life of Troy Helmick. It was an honor to know him and work with him and he will be missed by all.