July 26, 1935-October 23, 2025

Sunday, November 2, 2025 at 4:30 p.m. Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses

9947 Veterans Parkway Midland, Georgia 31820

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Obituary

Mr. Helmut Gertjegerdes, one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, was born in Germany, Europe, July 26, 1935. He died on Thursday, October 23, 2025 peacefully at home in Columbus, Georgia. His father, the late Emil Gertjegerdes, was a prisoner in German concentration camps in Nazi Germany for almost 10 years. While his father was a prisoner under the dictatorship of Hitler, Helmut’s mother Mrs. Gretchen Gertjegerdes, read the Bible each day.

Helmut had a love for God as a young child. Helmut loved the Bible and was baptized as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses at the age of 14 years old in 1949. A faithful servant of Jehovah God, Helmut served three years as a volunteer at the Bethel facility in Germany where he learned book-binding among many other skills. After leaving Germany, he migrated to the United States of America where he met his wife, Mrs. Carol Carter Gertjegerdes and they were married June 30, 1963. The two of them were husband and wife for 62 years.

During their marriage, Helmut was active as an elder in several congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the United States. Together, he and his wife served as volunteers, devoting their time to teaching others about “the Good News” found in the Holy Bible. He attended several Bible Schools of Jehovah’s Witnesses where he learned expert skills in teaching God’s Word. Helmut was a member of the Cusseta Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses, Cusseta, Georgia. While living in New Jersey, he worked as a bookbinder in Fairlawn.

Later, he worked with his wife as a consultant for the Ophelia DeVore School of Charm and Ophelia DeVore Cosmetics in NYC. Helmut and Carol soon expanded their field of work and became a photographer/stylist team for Grace Del Marco Modeling Agency in New York City. Helmut and his wife moved to Georgia, where he and his wife were co-publishers of The Columbus Times. During this time, Helmut and Carol were parents of four children. They are Petra, Mark (Jasmine Cartwright), Helmut (Crystal Harper) and Tanya (Lito Williams).

Helmut became a grandfather to Tone’, Shelby, Antoine, Halle, Jordan, Jayden, Ethan and Bailey. He was preceded in death by one son-Robert; his parents, Mr. Emil & Mrs. Gretchen, Gertjegerdes, Germany; and his sisters-Mrs. Lore Gons, Mrs. Inge Bartsch and Ms. Ilsa Gertjegerdes and his brothers-Mr. Emil Gertjegerdes, Jr., Mr. Werner Gertjegerdes and Mr. Robert Gertjegerdes. He is survived by his wife-Carol; four children; eight grandchildren; one sister, Mrs. Grete Kutz, Dortmund, Germany; several nieces and nephews in America and Germany; and hundreds of close friends.

“I love my beautiful family,” Helmut would say, at least once a day. For all those who knew him, many could vouch for a few of his loves, reading, traveling, music, photography; and food, his favorites included chocolate, lamb chops, home-made puddings, Southern style potato salad, German goulash and mac & cheese.

Helmut’s favorite saying was, “Take it easy.” Helmut had a strong faith in Jehovah God and the Bible. One of his favorite Bible scriptures was Revelation 21:4, which reads: “And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.”