With very heavy hearts, the families of Dr. Alan Stoelting Helwig, of Bumpass, Va., wish to share that he passed away on December 15, 2025. Alan was born in Indianapolis, Indiana on June 15,1935 and died December 15, 2025. His passing was very sudden and unexpected as he remained active even though he had celebrated his 90th birthday.
He is survived by his devoted wife, Carolyn “Kitty” L. Helwig; brother, Dr. Warren Bowman Helwig (Lou); sister, Ann Gordon (Dave); children, Alan Randall “Randy” Helwig (Heidi), Allison Lillis (Bob) and Kerry Offhaus (Brian); step-children, Lori McGuiney Craig, Rusty McGuiney (fiancée, Ljubinka Morgan) and Philip McGuiney (Nicole); grandchildren, Sarah Helwig (Joe), Laura Simpson (Kyle), Nicholas Lillis, Austin Offhaus, Carter Offhaus, Drew Offhaus, Toby Craig, Brandon McGuiney (Shawnna) and Abby McGuiney; great-grandchildren, Colton Simpson,Tanner Simpson and Eli McGuiney; niece, Demby Bowman Banbury (Dr. John A.); along with many nephews, great-nephews, and numerous extended family members. He was preceded in death by his grandson, Adam Forest McGuiney.
He leaves to mourn a very special grandson, Toby Craig. Alan joyfully accepted being Toby’s father figure from very early on in Toby’s life. He was instrumental in creating Toby’s family unit, that we fondly refer to as the “Boomshe Family”. Alan also recently celebrated the milestone arrival of two great-grandsons, Colton and Tanner Simpson, and cherished the time he could spend with them. He was also especially proud of his great-nephew, LTJG John “Pierce” Banbury, USN and watched every Navy football game while Pierce played for the Academy.
Alan practiced Orthodontics in McLean, VA for 50 years. He was well known for his flamboyant, patterned pants, bluegrass music playing from the public radio station, the Frogger game and the jukebox of oldies and goodies in the office reception area. He was an alumnus of the Citadel (1957), Virginia Commonwealth University Schools of Dentistry (1961) and Orthodontics (1965, the first graduating class!). He proudly served his country for two years in the Army and remained very patriotic for his entire life. He also served his profession through the Northern Virginia Dental Society, Virginia Association of Orthodontics, The Southern Association of Orthodontics, and the American Association of Orthodontics holding various positions and receiving numerous honors and awards.
All that knew and loved him can attest to what an amazing man he was! He was incredibly creative and driven, loved working and creating with wood, and dearly loved Lake Anna, his property and the home that he designed and built by hand, known as “Crocodile Farm”. He owned an array of various sized tractors for various purposes and enjoyed gardening, both vegetables and flowers. He enjoyed watching football, having played himself at one point in time in school. Early on, he built a home on Lake Gaston in NC and began developing a collection of neon beer signs. Throughout his life, he built furniture and handmade wooden Christmas tree decorations each year to memorialize the special event of the year, having just finished Tanner’s cribs!
So many feel the love and unexpected loss of this great man!
Alan’s wishes were for “nothing fancy” regarding a funeral service and for his Grandson, Toby Craig, to “handle everything”. We welcome all to join our blended families for an informal gathering of love and respect at 2 p.m. on Sunday, January 4, 2026, at Covenant Funeral Service, Fredericksburg. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service at the funeral home chapel. Interment will be held privately in Spring Grove Memorial Park in Mineral, VA.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to The Journey Home in Mineral, VA, The Lake Anna Civic Association in Mineral, or the charity/entity of your choice in Alan’s memory.