Lawrence John 'Larry' Heese

LAWRENCE JOHN "LARRY" HEESE

Fairfax

Lawrence John "Larry" Heese, 78, of Fairfax, died peacefully at home surrounded by his family on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2019, from acute myeloid leukemia. Funeral Mass: 1 p.m. Monday, St. Jude Catholic Church, by the Rev. Mark Murphy. A vigil will be held at 4 p.m. Sunday at Teahen Funeral Home, where friends may visit with the family following until 7 p.m. at Teahen Funeral Home, and after noon on Monday at the church.

Larry is survived by his wife of 55 years, Jean of Fairfax; he was a devoted father to three daughters, Jill Blosser of West Des Moines, Julie (Rich) Lorimer of Springville and Heidi (Mark) Weber of Rice Lake, Wis.; son, Mark (Angie) Heese of Ely; and grandchildren, Logan, Lauren, Libby, Andrew, Sam, Caleb (Cecily), Anna, Ella, Jeff (Jill), Shelly, Thomas and Elizabeth.

He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Owen and Ed; and sisters, Dorothy, Rita, Bernice, Isabel, Helen and Norma.

Larry was born on Feb. 6, 1941, in Earling, the son of Peter and Isabel Wilwerding Heese, and graduated from St. Joseph High School, Earling, and Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids. He served in the U.S. Army from 1959 to 1962. On May 9, 1964, Larry married the love of his life, Jean Herbst, in Panama, Iowa. In 1967, he began working for Quaker Oats Co. and retired in 2002 as facilities engineer. Upon retirement, he was proud to volunteer for Bridgehaven, Aging Services and St. Vincent De Paul, and lent a helping hand for countless charities. He was a member of St. Jude Catholic Church and the Knights of Columbus.

Larry enjoyed woodworking and helping friends with projects. He will be remembered for his sense of humor, positive attitude, service to others and unwavering faith. Wherever Larry went and whatever he did, he made a friend. He even made friends with the staff at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, and his family is forever grateful for the amazing care he received from them. Larry was his family's hero and will be missed by all who knew and loved him.

Instead of flowers, memorials may be directed to St. Jude's Children's Hospital or Shriners Hospitals.

Online condolences can be left at www.teahenfuneralhome.com.