CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -Walt Helmick, a former West Virginia Department of Agriculture commissioner and state senator, has passed away at 81.

In a release from WVDP, they share Helmick died on September 6.

A native of Pocahontas County, Helmick spent several decades as a public servant working for the Pocahontas County School Board the Pocahontas County Commission both the House of Delegates and State Senate from 1990 to 2012.

Finally, he served the Department of Agriculture as West Virginia’s Agriculture Commissioner from 2013 to 2017.

“Walt Helmick was more than a public servant—he was a true son of West Virginia who loved this state and its people with his whole heart,” said Mike Pushkin, Chair of the West Virginia Democratic Party.

“He brought wisdom, civility, and a quiet stren

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