Susan Holt Helmer, 74, left a life well-lived in the early hours of January 26, 2026, in her Siler City, NC home, surrounded by love. Susan was born to Billy Holt and Ruby Ellis Holt. 

She graduated from Jordan-Matthews High School in 1969 and went on to UNC - Chapel Hill, as the first in her family to attend college. She would use her passion to fight many good fights over her lifetime. Initially studying sociology at UNC because she felt called to make a difference during the tumultuous 1970s, Susan switched her focus to the power of education as she completed her master’s degree where she investigated the use of sign language to help children on the autism spectrum gain better verbal skills. 

Susan married Stephen Helmer in the backyard of their Chapel Hill home in 1978. She would go on to dedicate herself to children, especially those most in need, for the rest of her life. Susan taught preschoolers who were hearing impaired, middle school students with severe disabilities, and high school students who needed help graduating. In the late 1980s, Susan stepped away from teaching because she wanted to do even more to improve the lives of local kids, and she started Chatham County Together (now Communities in Schools - Chatham), a nonprofit organization matching trained volunteers with children who need strong, positive, adult role models. In addition, she was elected twice and served eight years as a school board member for Chatham County Schools, attending meetings and workshops, often late into the evenings, to provide her personal experience as a classroom teacher to guide policy and hiring that supported educators and students. Susan retired from teaching in 2012.

In her last decade, she devoted herself to her family, caring for her grandchildren and her mother, as well as becoming a trained Stephen Minister so she could provide comfort to other congregants of First United Methodist Church in Siler City. Susan loved the beach and the mountains, especially when she had her family around her, a great view and a book in hand. She was a gardener and flower-lover, a poet, a reader, a community activist, a skilled baker, a creative quilter, a loving mother, grandmother and wife. 

She is preceded in death by her father, Billy Holt, and brothers Randy, Barry and Darien Holt. 

She is survived by her mother, Ruby Ellis Holt, her husband of 47 years, Stephen Helmer, her daughters Stephanie Holt Helmer and Sarah Hauser, her sons-in-law Alec Hauser and Wes Lail, and her grandchildren Telluric, Eolian, Josephine and Stephen. 

The service to honor Susan Holt Helmer will be at 3:00 PM on Saturday, February 7, 2026, at the Siler City First United Methodist Church. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to: Communities in Schools - Chatham County at PO Box 903, Siler City, NC 27344.

Smith & Buckner Funeral Home will be assisting the Helmer family.

Online condolences can be made at www.smithbucknerfh.com