Seymour Helderman

Seymour Helderman, 83, died Monday, October 9, 2017 at the Roseview Gardens care home in Surprise, AZ following a long illness. He leaves his wife of 55 years, Judy Helderman; their son, Joshua Lawler, daughter-in-law Cary, daughter Isa, and two grandchildren, Savannah and Caiden.

Born and raised in Newark, NJ, he is a proud graduate of Weequahic HS. He held a graduate degree from Rutgers University in Music Education and a MBA from Fairleigh Dickinson University. He was a member of several musician’s unions in the tri-state area and the NJ Society of Certified Public Accountants.

A distinguished musician from childhood, he served his country as a member of the Army band stationed in San Francisco. He played saxophone, clarinet, flute, and piccolo. Upon returning from military service, he taught music in the Newark public school system. He continued to play professionally throughout his life and always carried a clarinet with him when traveling. Able to play by ear, he was often invited to sit-in with musicians he met while on holiday.

In response to the needs of his young family, he pursued a career in sales in the emerging field of payroll data processing. Often winning sales awards, he continued to seek new career challenges and returned to graduate school at age 40 to pursue a career in accounting. He earned his CPA credential and built a successful small accounting firm based in Morristown, practicing for over three decades. He was at the forefront of hiring practices, offering flexible schedules to parents with young children and pursuing leading-edge technology to allow working remotely. He offered tuition assistance to those working for him who wished to further their education.

Sy and his wife Judy lived in Morristown for 41 years and were members of Temple B’Nai Or. A graveside service will be held at Beth Israel cemetery in Cedar Knolls on Monday, October 16th at 2pm.