Friedrich Anton Wilhelm "Fritz" Helle first studied law then entered a university in Berlin to become a licensed brewmaster. He worked as a brewmaster in Bochum from 1934-1942, marrying Leni Fromm in 1935. He was inducted into the military service in 1942 and served as a driver for an officer until war's end in 1945. In the early years of the war and his military service, the family lived at Bochum. However, when bomb attacks made it too dangerous for Leni and the children, she took them to her family home in Heiligenstadt, Thueringia, where they remained until the end of the war. In 1945 the family returned to Bochum, now in the political division of West Germany, and Fritz resumed his occupation as a brewmaster. In 1952 he moved the family to Belgium and later Luxembourg where he continued his profession. Fritz retired in 1957 and moved to Rüthen, his grandfather's town, where he and Leni managed the Helle Brewery complex for cousin Josef Wilhelm August "Willy" Helle, called Jossel, who owned the business. Because cousin Willy and his wife had no children, it was agreed between the two families that Cousin Willy and hiswife would adopt Fritz and Leni's oldest son, Wolfgang, so the buisiness would remain in the family. (Sharon Bearce)

Fritz and Leni retired from management in 1968. During the first ten years in Ruethen, Friz did additional research of the Helle Family of Ruethen and revised, updated and shortened the scroll in 1968. In December of 1967 he wrote a letter of inquiry to Macomb, IL USA and eventually got into touch with descendants of Frederick Helle, who had immigrated to Illinois in 1857. After his second retirement, Fritz continued with the Helle Family research, maintaining a lively correspondence with many family members in Germany and abroad. Leni's family name, "Fromm" means pious. Her family, as well as other Roman-Catholics at Heiligenstadt and surrounding places belonged to a Bishopric of Mainz, Rhineland and resisted the protestant Reformation which was very strong in Thueringia.