Heckmann, Zeta Mae --- 1939-2013
STEIERT, HECKMANN, KURASH, ROSE, HAVILAND, NEY, SCHULTZ
Posted By: IA GenWeb Volunter
Date: 8/23/2013 at 15:29:48
Zeta Mae Heckmann
Zeta Mae Heckmann was born on her family farm north of Postville, Iowa on December 15, 1939. She passed away on Friday, July 12, 2013. Zeta was the 7th child of Arbie and Inez (Steiert) Heckmann. She often told stories of childhood on the farm: cats and cows, sisters and brothers and a one-room school during a simpler time. Zeta was truly a middle child, she had 4 older brothers and 2 older sisters and 4 younger brothers and 2 younger sisters.
Zeta graduated from Postville High School with the class of 1957. After a short time spent in Minneapolis where her only child, Teresa Jean, was born, she moved to Cedar Rapids and encouraged by her father, attended the Cedar Rapids Barber College which was a dream of hers. After renting a chair, she purchased her own shop in the Kenwood area of Cedar Rapids and from there, moved to Hiawatha where she was co-owner of A-1 Barber Service for many years.
Zeta loved to learn and went on to acquire carpentry skills, earn her cosmetology license, study massage therapy and spent her final 20 working years with the Cedar Rapids Gazette in advertising, working on graphic design. She used her carpentry skills for the city and began putting buildings in place for what became the recreated Ushers Ferry Village. Zeta worked with a group of young people that replaced roofs, foundations and everything else inside the first buildings on the site.
When she retired, Zeta moved to Fort Atkinson. She helped with the Rendezvous Days 5K and the Backpack Program for area schools.
Zeta loved outdoors. She created beautiful flower gardens and was always hunting for new and interesting seeds. Her birdhouses and found-glass sculptures were truly one-of-a-kind and made her gardens complete. Zeta loved to fish and spent many hours with her line in Northeast Iowa trout streams. Upon retirement Zeta started running, and she never stopped. All of her running helped her lose weight, she was proud to have taken off about 100 pounds!
Zeta enjoyed riding on two wheels. She spent hours on bicycle trails in Cedar Rapids and Northeast Iowa. She added a motor and purchased a motorcycle that she enjoyed touring. It’s unclear who was most excited when she decided to pass her motorcycle on to her grandson, Buster.
Zeta was a sports fan, especially football, and enjoyed watching the Iowa Hawkeyes. She enjoyed softball and pitched for two teams when she was younger. Her favorite sport was horse racing; she waited all year for the Triple Crown to begin.
Of all of the things that were important to Zeta, her grandchildren topped the list. She taught them to fish when they were young and how to fix things. She was very proud of their accomplishments, everything from 4-H projects and National History Day to graduating from high-school and college. She made sure the mailbox always had a card with stickers in it for every occasion.
Zeta’s other children had 4 legs and fur. She spent many happy years with them. First Nikki, then Tucker who devotedly ran beside her every day until he passed away this spring.
Zeta is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Teresa and Allan Kurash of Fort Atkinson and grandchildren, Emily Kurash of Decorah, Ross Kurash of Cedar Falls and Ashley Kurash of Fort Atkinson. She is also survived by sisters Ann (Bud) Rose of Waterloo, Twila (David) Haviland of Clive, Vicky Ney of West Union and brothers, Donald (Regina) of Texas, John (Donna) of Miles, Leslie (Sherrill) of Arkansas, Neal (Karen) of Oelwein and Stanley of Colorado and brother-in-law, Floyd Schultz of Wisconsin.
She was preceded in death by her parents, a sister, Jean Schultz; brothers, Robert, Gary and Allan and brother-in-law, Lyle.
Visitation will be held on Wednesday, July 17, 2013, from 4-7 p.m. at the Calmar Lutheran Church, Calmar, Iowa, and one hour before services at the church on Thursday.
Funeral Services will be held on Thursday, July 18, 2013, at 11 a.m. at the Calmar Lutheran Church, Calmar, Iowa. The Rev. Phillip Olson will officiate.
Inurnment will follow in the Postville Cemetery, Postville, Iowa.
Schutte – Grau Funeral Home and Cremation Service of Postville, Iowa, is in charge of arrangements.
Taken from a funeral brochure.
Allamakee Obituaries maintained by Sharyl Ferrall.
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