Home > United States of America > Ohio > Defiance County > Saint Stephens Lutheran Cemetery > Richard J. Heilman

Richard J. Heilman

Birth	:	20 Jul 1918 Henry County, Ohio, USA
Death	:	14 May 1998 Defiance, Defiance County, Ohio, USA
Burial	:	Saint Stephens Lutheran Cemetery, Defiance County, USA
Coordinate	:	41.2366982, -84.2363968
Description	:	Richard Heilman, 79, Defiance, died at 5:15 p.m. Thursday at Defiance Hospital. He was born July 20, 1918, in Henry County, the son of William and Blanche (Siford) Heilman. In 1941, he married Doris Marshaus, who survives. He was employed 27 years by General Motors, retiring in 1977, and had been employed by Defiance Machine Works. He was a life member of VFW Post 3360 and American Legion Post 117 and a member of the Covair Club, Bryan, and National Rifle Association. A member of St. John Lutheran Church, he was a church finance board member, a former elder... Read More	Richard Heilman, 79, Defiance, died at 5:15 p.m. Thursday at Defiance Hospital. He was born July 20, 1918, in Henry County, the son of William and Blanche (Siford) Heilman. In 1941, he married Doris Marshaus, who survives. He was employed 27 years by General Motors, retiring in 1977, and had been employed by Defiance Machine Works. He was a life member of VFW Post 3360 and American Legion Post 117 and a member of the Covair Club, Bryan, and National Rifle Association. A member of St. John Lutheran Church, he was a church finance board member, a former elder and usher for 30 years. He served in the Army Air Force in the European Theater with the 878th Signal Corp. of Eighth & Ninth Air Force during World War II. Also surviving are a son, John, Defiance; a daughter Mrs. William (Suzanne) Hultz, Defiance; a sister, Mary Hannah Flory, Jewell; and three grandchildren. Preceding him in death were a son, Philip; five brothers, Harold, Paul, Floyd, Burdette and Ralph; and a sister, Florice Warncke. Services will be Monday at St. John Lutheran Church with Revs. Donald Luhring and John Blankenbuehler officiating. Burial will be in St. Stephen Cemetery, where VFW Post 3360 will perform graveside services. Visitation will be Saturday from 7-9 p.m. and Sunday from 1-9 p.m. at Mast-Mock-Hoffman Funeral Home and Monday from 10 a.m. until time of services at the church. Memorials are to Lutheran Hour or Lutheran Association Missionary Pilots (LAMP) Blade, The (Toledo, OH) - Sunday, May 17, 1998 Richard J. Heilman, who tested experimental technology for General Motors and collected vintage Thunderbirds and Corvairs, died of a heart attack Thursday in Defiance Hospital. He was 79. During World War II, he served in the U.S. and overseas in the 878th Signal Corps of the 8th and 9th U.S. Air Corps. He flew over the coast of Normandy soon after D-Day, when bodies still littered the beach, and once pulled a fellow pilot from a burning plane, his wife, Doris Marshaus Heilman, said. ''He was always the type of person who made up his mind to do [something] no matter what the cost to him,'' his wife said. ''He was totally committed to everything he did.'' Mr. Heilman left the Air Corps in 1945 as a staff sergeant. He spent several years in Columbus, where his wife was completing a degree at Ohio State University, before returning to Defiance to work with the GM Powertrain Group. While in the state capital, he rode in a Tucker and wanted to buy it, his wife said. His interest in cars dated to his years at Jewell, Ohio High School, from which he graduated in 1937. He owned 1956 and 1962 Thunderbirds and six Corvairs, his wife said. ''He could identify every car he saw,'' she said. ''He just loved to tinker with them.'' At the GM engine plant, he worked in the experimental department. He retired in 1977 after 29 years. Mr. Heilman was an active member of St. John's Lutheran Church, Defiance, where he was a former elder, a former member of the finance board, and an usher for 30 years. He had a good sense of humor that kept him going in his later years, and he had a close relationship with his grandchildren that involved joking and storytelling. ''I think he made himself likeable to them. I think he really got across to them,'' his wife said. ''They really appreciated hearing his experiences. That's unusual in this day and age.'' Mr. Heilman was a life member of the VFW Post 3360 and American Legion Post 117. He was a member of the Tri-state Corvair Club, which convened in Bryan. He bowled with GM and church leagues and was an occasional golfer, his wife said. He was born on a farm in Henry County and continued to garden and do yard work after his retirement. He was mowing an orchard at his wife's family farm when he suffered his fatal heart attack. Surviving are his wife, Doris; son, John A.; daughter, Suzanne Hultz; sister, Mary Hannah Flory, and three grandchildren. The body will be in the Mast-Mock-Hoffman Funeral Home after 1 p.m. today and in St. John's Lutheran Church after 10 a.m. tomorrow, where funeral services will be at 11 a.m. The family requests tributes to the Lutheran Hour or the Lutheran Association of Missionary Pilots.

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is Richard J. Heilman's memorial?
Richard J. Heilman's memorial is located at: Saint Stephens Lutheran Cemetery, Defiance County, USA.
When did Richard J. Heilman death?
Richard J. Heilman death on 14 May 1998 in Defiance, Defiance County, Ohio, USA
Where are the coordinates of the Richard J. Heilman's memorial?
Latitude: 41.2366982
Longitude: -84.2363968

Family Members:

Parent

Spouse

Doris M. Marshaus Heilman

(1916 - 2016)

Siblings

Paul Laverne Heilman

(1909 - 1979)

Mary Hanna Heilman Flory

(1915 - 2002)

Ralph Raymond Heilman

(1918 - 1984)

Children

Philip James Heilman

(1954 - 1977)

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Saint Stephens Lutheran Cemetery
Defiance County, USA
Coordinate: 41.2366982, -84.2363968

2. Old Saint Stephens Lutheran Cemetery
Ayersville, Defiance County, USA
Coordinate: 41.2458687, -84.2483139

3. Hill Cemetery
Ayersville, Defiance County, USA
Coordinate: 41.2242012, -84.2743988

4. Ayersville Cemetery
Ayersville, Defiance County, USA
Coordinate: 41.2518500, -84.2883800

5. Hohenberger Cemetery
Defiance County, USA
Coordinate: 41.2728004, -84.2705994

6. Township Cemetery
New Bavaria, Henry County, USA
Coordinate: 41.2168500, -84.1796990

7. Huse Cemetery
Defiance, Defiance County, USA
Coordinate: 41.2851982, -84.2464981

8. Riverview Memory Gardens
Defiance, Defiance County, USA
Coordinate: 41.2938995, -84.2583008

9. Hale-Wellman Cemetery
Ayersville, Defiance County, USA
Coordinate: 41.2200090, -84.3154720

10. Hire Cemetery
Defiance County, USA
Coordinate: 41.2797012, -84.2956009

11. Rohn Cemetery
Defiance County, USA
Coordinate: 41.2963982, -84.2643967

12. Groll Cemetery
Pleasant Township, Henry County, USA
Coordinate: 41.2297440, -84.1514240

13. Saint Johns Cemetery
Holgate, Henry County, USA
Coordinate: 41.2393990, -84.1464005

14. Saint Peters Cemetery
Holgate, Henry County, USA
Coordinate: 41.2397003, -84.1457977

15. Saint Marys Cemetery
Holgate, Henry County, USA
Coordinate: 41.2393260, -84.1452350

16. Emanuel United Church of Christ Cemetery
New Bavaria, Henry County, USA
Coordinate: 41.1981010, -84.1567001

17. Old Pleasant Township Cemetery
New Bavaria, Henry County, USA
Coordinate: 41.1981046, -84.1566114

18. Worthington Cemetery
Highland Township, Defiance County, USA
Coordinate: 41.2271860, -84.3318520

19. Hoeltzel-Moon Cemetery
Ayersville, Defiance County, USA
Coordinate: 41.2017000, -84.3213700

20. Stykeman-Minsel Cemetery
Independence, Defiance County, USA
Coordinate: 41.2970010, -84.2931180

21. Parry Cemetery
Florida, Henry County, USA
Coordinate: 41.3116989, -84.2230988

22. Myers Cemetery
Defiance County, USA
Coordinate: 41.2168999, -84.3352966

23. Brinkman Cemetery
Florida, Henry County, USA
Coordinate: 41.3116989, -84.2108002

24. Independence Cemetery
Independence, Defiance County, USA
Coordinate: 41.2980995, -84.3019028