Mary Welham Walbridge Helweg Campbell Wurmstedt was born on May 10, 1933 in Philadelphia, PA to Mary Cooke (nee Welham) and John Charles Walbridge, and she died on March 4, 2025 in Dallas, Texas at age 91.
Originally called “my wee bonnie lassie” by her grandfather who immigrated from Scotland to Philadelphia by boarding the S/S Ethiopia in Glasgow as a stow away, the nickname “Bonnie” stuck. Born to two graduates of the University of Pennsylvania, Bonnie grew up first in Philadelphia and then Jenkintown, PA. Her mother’s six brothers all served during the First and Second World Wars. When Bonnie’s uncle, Walter Welham, became a Rear Admiral and the Fleet Medical Officer on the staff of the U.S. Commander and Chief of the Pacific Fleet at the U.S. Base at Pearl Harbor after World War II ended, her mother decided that Bonnie and her brother Charles should spend a year living on Oahu, and they set sail for a once in a life-time experience where they attended The Punahou School. She told stories of drinking fresh pineapple juice dispensed from fountains in the lobby of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel before Hawaii was a state. Upon her return to Philadelphia, Bonnie finished high school at Girl’s High, spending summers at Camp Oneka where she overlapped with fellow camper Grace Kelly. Bonnie went to college at Bucknell University, where she earned a BS in Elementary Education and reveled in the social life that the Phi Mu Sorority offered.
After graduation from Bucknell in 1955, she taught second, fourth, and sixth grade at the Clara Barton Elementary public school. While teaching, she enrolled at Wharton Business School at night, where the dean pulled her aside and told her that women were being hired on Wall Street and she should consider applying to a bank there. Never one to shy away from a challenge, she interviewed and was hired as an analyst at Chase Manhattan Bank. For the rest of her life, Bonnie reminisced about the excitement, glamour and fun of her six years living in New York City, and indeed she continued regularly to travel back to Manhattan well into the 1990s to engage the talents of the stylists at the Elizabeth Arden Red Door Salon on Fifth Avenue. While working in the legendary Private Bank at Chase Manhattan Bank, Bonnie met then-CEO, David Rockefeller after the windows next to Bonnie’s desk on the 52nd floor of Chase’s newly built office building blew out – not once but twice - and Mr. Rockefeller came to check on the safety of the affected employees. While in New York City, she worked on the 1960 Presidential Campaign of Richard M. Nixon vs. John F. Kennedy. Although the election did not go her way, Bonnie loved the experience, and she continued to be drawn to the rough and tumble of Republican politics throughout her life. She left New York City in 1964 to marry her first husband, Joseph Earley Helweg, Jr.
Joe was devoted to Bonnie, and they had two children together. She remained a stay-at-home mother but converted the basement of the family’s home in Meadowbrook, PA into a classroom where Bonnie taught both her children to read and do math sitting at surplus desks from the Philadelphia School District. Bonnie grew up spending summers in Avalon, NJ, and she maintained a lifelong passion for enjoying time on Seven Mile Island. Bonnie was always quick to promote the superiority of Avalon’s beaches, and she passed on that passion for the soft sand and perfect waves of the Jersey Shore to her children, spending the entire summer at the beach, picking them up on the last day of school in June and dropping them off on the first day of school in September.
Bonnie’s enthusiasm for and devotion to the role of being a mother was exceptional. She was a tireless teacher, cheerleader, and source of encouragement who made Diana and Joe feel that there was nothing they could not do. She was truly the wind in their sails, believing in them and giving them the confidence to be whatever they wanted to be. Both Joe and Bonnie were committed Christians, lifelong Episcopalians, and active members of the congregation at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Huntingdon Valley, PA. Joe and Bonnie also had a shared commitment to community service, and Bonnie poured her time & talents into numerous Montgomery County causes, most notably the Women’s Board of Abington Memorial Hospital where Bonnie shattered records for fundraising in support of AMH’s annual June Fete. Bonnie enjoyed an amazing group of friends at Huntingdon Valley Country Club, the Junior League of Philadelphia, Rotary Club of Jenkintown, the Jenkintown Lyceum, Fanback Questers and the Old York Road Women’s Committee of the Philadelphia Orchestra with whom she regularly attended Friday afternoon performances at the Academy of Music for the rest of her years residing in Pennsylvania.
When her husband Joe died far too young from colon cancer at age 53, Bonnie started her next chapter as a funeral director. She did not hesitate to take over the family business which happened to be a funeral home that had been in business since John Quincy Adams was president. This year, Helweg & Rowland Funeral Home will celebrate its 200th anniversary. Bonnie found that she not only had a knack for serving families in their most difficult times, but that she loved doing so. She received so much joy from meeting people of all different backgrounds and beliefs and helping them celebrate their beloveds. She showed that she was also a talented businesswoman as she expanded through the acquisition of a neighboring funeral home and brought the business to new heights. One of her favorite things to do was to take the time to personally drive the obituaries down to the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Bulletin to ensure that the obituaries of her clients would make it into the papers. Bonnie loved going that extra mile for her families. As she grew into her newest career, she also fell in love again and married George W. Campbell. Both widowed, they had fun enjoying this next chapter of their lives, traveling, seeing their children and grandchildren, and spending more time at the beach in Avalon, NJ and the John’s Island Club in Vero Beach, Florida.
When her marriage to George ended, Bonnie moved to Florida fulltime after falling in love with her next-door neighbor, Chuck Wurmstedt. She was 75 and he was 85, and they had a ball. They truly traveled the globe seeing all kinds of places and also enjoyed their community at the John’s Island Club where they were active participants in the social events and golf. Bonnie joined the JIC Chorus and enjoyed their regular performances. When Chuck died at 95, Bonnie moved to Dallas to live near daughter Diana. She had a wonderful time making friends and living in a happy community at The Preston of the Park Cities, enjoying the music, activities and interactions organized by the incredible staff of the Preston, where she died peacefully in her sleep.
She is survived by daughter, M. Diana Helweg Newton, and her husband Geoffrey L. Newton, and her son, Joseph Earley Helweg III, and his wife Sally Graham Helweg. She was a proud grandmother of seven grandchildren: Jack, Elizabeth and Graham Helweg, and Jack, Hadley (married to Guy Johnston), Will and Thayer Newton. She is also survived by her brother Charles Edward Knopf Jr., as well as lots of her favorite sayings like “what is hardest in the beginning is easiest in the end,” “every back has a front,” “take a bow,” and “what is on the docket today?”
She was predeceased by her three husbands, Joseph Earley Helweg Jr., George Windsor Campbell, and Charles Christian Wurmstedt; and by her parents, Mary Welham Walbridge Knopf and John Charles Walbridge, stepfather, Charles Edward Knopf Sr., and stepsister, Beverly Anne Knopf.
Memorial Service will be held at noon on Saturday, March 29, 2025, St. John’s Church of Our Saviour, 1309 Old Welsh Road, Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006, where friends will be received from 11:00 AM until the time of the service. A reception will follow the service. She will be buried in a private graveside ceremony at Arlington Cemetery. The service is being handled by Helweg & Rowland Funeral Home.
In lieu of flowers, please consider contributions in her memory to Abington Health Foundation, 1200 Old York Road, Abington, PA 19001. https://giving.jefferson.edu
Thank you to all the people who cared for Bonnie over the years including her three husbands, Sheila Mutasa, Amity Hospice, and the absolutely unparalleled team of nurses and caregivers at The Preston of the Park Cities in Dallas.