Cindy Helmig
September 8, 1960 – March 23, 2024
Enjoying the Helmig Outfit’s World Championship in 2002 With Son Tyce (L) and Husband Tyler (C)
The World Professional Chuckwagon Association was shocked to hear of the sudden passing of longtime active supporter and “Woman of the Wagon” Cindy Helmig on Saturday, March 23, 2024 at the age of 63 years.
Cindy was born into a rodeo family, and married into a chuckwagon family. She was the second born to legendary stock contractors Harvey and Eileen Northcott in Calgary, Alberta and grew up on the family ranch in Caroline, Alberta. She followed in her father’s footsteps and developed a true love of horses and rodeo. On August 27th, 1983, she married chuckwagon driver Tyler Helmig and over the next 40 plus years, enjoyed phenomenal success both on and off the racetrack, in inside and outside the rodeo arena.
As the wife of a chuckwagon driver, Cindy played a major role in the Helmig chuckwagon outfit. Cindy was a dedicated and hands on member of the team, working with, feeding and caring for both horses and humans. In a twenty four year career, the Helmig Chuckwagon Team had a lot of success along the WPCA Pro Tour, with their most notable success coming in 1999 by winning the Klondike Chuckwagon Derby in their “hometown” of Edmonton, and in 2002 when they won the World Chuckwagon Championship.
In addition to being a dedicated member of the Helmig Chuckwagon Team, Cindy was also as much a dedicated member of the WPCA Women of the Wagons and was a hands on member for the numerous charitable functions the ladies did in any given year. From helping to organize auctions, to donating items, cooking pies, Cindy was always on the front lines. In 2003 Cindy was the brainchild and the driving force behind a new innovation for the Women of the Wagons causes, an it came in the form of a cookbook. The “Wagon Camp Girls Cookbook” was a collection of the favorite recipes submitted by many of the ladies associated with the WPCA. Proceeds from the book benefited the WPCA benevolent funds. Cindy collected all the recopies, wrote the book, funded the printing of the book, and even sold copies of the cookbook out her trailer on the road. This endeavor raised several thousands of dollars for the benevolent funds for both the chuckwagon drivers and the outriders.
In 2005, a significant meeting that became arguably the biggest contributor to the charitable efforts of the WPCA ladies took place at the 2005 WPCA Awards Banquet between Cindy, Chris Cartier, Kim Tournier and Suzanne Linklater. Kim Tournier had organized a fundraiser for the Ty Tournier Memorial Research Foundation in her hometown. The foundation was named for her son who had passed away a year earlier from a rare birth defect. Whatever amount she had raised, Kim was disappointed with it. To that Cindy replied, “Let’s do a Ladies Luncheon and Fashion Show,” and the WPCA Ladies Day Out was born.
Chaired by Suzanne Linklater, soon thereafter Darlene Bensmiller, Lorna Walgenbach, Sue Fraser, Maria Lenz and Michelle Green were recruited to help with the details, and the first WPCA Ladies Luncheon and Fashion show was held in Red Deer in 2006. In addition to the ladies on the front line, the response and support from ALL the WPCA ladies was overwhelming. With a different charity every year as the benefactor, in just three years, the event has raised $100,000.00, and as Cindy said herself, “Not bad for a group of ladies looking for a little fun.”
Cindy was predeceased by her father, Harvey Northcott(2010), mother-in-law Loyola (Blaeser) Helmig (2005) and father-in-law Glen Helmig (2008). She is survived by her husband of 40 years Tyler, son Tyce (Courtney) Helmig, mother Eileen Northcott, brothers Del (Debbie) Northcott, Ty (Gail) Northcott, Ace Northcott, brothers-in-law Troy (Judy) Helmig, Trevor (Terri) Helmig and numerous nieces, nephews and her Tribe.
Cindy’s Tribe were her people and if she liked you, you knew you were so loved.
A Celebration of Life will be held April 5th, 2024 at 1 pm at the Caroline Community Hub 5103 48 Ave Caroline AB.
The family is asking if you could please send photo memories of Cindy that will be shared to Courtney by emailing: [email protected]
If anyone has any recipes to share, please bring them on a recipe card to the service, Tyce can’t go hungry so please don’t forget them!
In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Canadian Diabetes Association, Cross Cancer Institute or the Charity of one’s choice.
Cindy will be missed by all in the WPCA, the chuckwagon community in general, and we extend our sincere condolences to Tyler, Tyce and the entire Helmig family. She was truly a “Woman of the Wagons.”
Billy Melville
