Arlene Heitmann

ARLENE FRANCES HEITMANN

Victor

Arlene Frances Heitmann, 92, of Victor, died Sunday, July 23, 2017, at Colonial Manor of Amana in Middle Amana. Funeral services are scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Friday, July 28, at Smith Funeral Home in Victor with the Rev. David Wilkening, pastor at St. Mary Catholic Church in Williamsburg, officiating. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery in Victor. Visitation will be held from 2 to 7 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home with the family present from 5 to 7 p.m.

Memorial contributions may be directed to the Arlene Heitmann memorial fund.

Arlene was born Feb. 2, 1925, on a farm southeast of Victor, the daughter of Arthur William and Julia Emily Blomme DeVilder. She lived at the DeVilder home since 1933 and graduated from Brooklyn High School with the Class of 1942. After graduation, she worked the summer for Kenneth Thatcher with Farm Bureau in Brooklyn, and when he moved his office to Des Moines she decided to stay in Brooklyn to help her father farm. During this time, she also helped her three uncles, a cousin and two neighbors make hay when needed.

On Oct. 26, 1946, she was united in marriage with Karl William Heitmann, a veteran of the U.S. Navy during World War II, at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Brooklyn. The couple farmed southeast of Victor and raised three children, Ronald, Richard and Rhonda. They kept busy with a dairy farm and later converted their business raising stock cows and hens. At one time, they had 5,000 hens and produced 96 dozen eggs per week!

Arlene was a member of St. Bridget Catholic Church in Victor and the Altar and Rosary Society. She was also a member of the Victor American Legion Auxiliary and the H & W Club. She enjoyed playing for houses dances with her mother during the 1930s, 1940s and part of the 1950s, where she played the accordion, mouth harp, guitar and violin. She enjoyed telling stories, playing cards and socializing with family and friends over a cup of coffee. Her biggest joy was her love for her family and all their activities.

She is survived by two children, Ronald (Debra) Heitmann of Amana and Rhonda (Steven) McCombs of Petersburg, Ill.; one granddaughter, Elsie Heitmann; and one daughter-in law, Judy Heitmann of Reno, Nev.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Karl, in 2002; her son, Richard, in 2017; and a grandson in infancy, Ryan McCombs.