McMinnville resident and Rutherford County native Jerry Wayne Helton, 65, died April 14 at River Park Hospital after an 18-month illness.The owner and president of Southern Insurance Group and a member of Christ’s Family Church, he was a past president of the McMinnville-Warren County Chamber of Commerce and was the charter president of McMinnville’s Breakfast Rotary Club. He was a member of the 1965 TSSAA basketball state champions out of Central High School in Murfreesboro. He was a teacher, deacon and shepherd at Christ’s Family Church, and was the lay leader for the Walk to Emmaus.After being diagnosed with cancer in the 1980s, he had a personal ministry of ministering to numerous other people coping with cancer.The son of the late Everett Cleveland “Jack” and Sue Underwood Helton Jr., he is survived by his wife, Freeda Helton; children and their spouses, Jeremy and Melissa Helton of Ripley, Hilary Helton of Knoxville, Cindy and Jeff Clabough of Cleveland, Carla and Craig Foster of McMinnville, Caryn and Larry Gibson of Olive Grove, Calif.; eight grandchildren, Lawson and Lake Helton, Christopher and Conner Clabough, Daulton and Danielle Foster, Hayley and Hope Gibson; brother, Eddie and wife, Andy Helton of Murfreesboro; mother-in-law, Margaret Ballew of McMinnville; and nieces, Kelly Moss of Knoxville and Abby Green of Murfreesboro.Services will be held at 2 p.m. Monday at High’s Chapel with Gary Molloy and Don Vinson officiating.