Phyllis Kohnne Heikens, 1928-2012

HEIKENS, KOHN, DAVIS, SEVERSON, BIUS, WELLS, BEVING, OFYELIE, ZAIGER

Posted By: Sharon K Hesebeck (email)
Date: 10/22/2012 at 23:43:38

Phyllis Arlene Kohnne Heikens
August 12, 1928-May 1, 2012

Funeral services for Phyllis Heikens, 83, of Milford, will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 5, 2012, at St. Alban's Episcopal Church of Spirit Lake. The Rev. Carl Mann will officiate the service.

A memorial public gathering with the family will be from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Warner Funeral Home in Spencer.

Burial will be at Summit Township Cemetery in Spencer.

Phyllis passed away Tuesday, May 1, 2012, at Spencer Hospital.

Phyllis Arlene Heikens, daughter of Wesley Frank and Estella Ella (Davis) Kohnne, was born on Aug. 12, 1928, on a farm north of Spencer. She was the only pupil in her grade at Meadow Township country school. In high school she showed calves through 4H and dreamed of owning a house on a lake. After high school in Spencer, she attended college at Hamlin University in St Paul, Minn.

Phyllis married Eugene Severson in 1947 and had a daughter, Kohnne, a year later. On Aug. 7, 1954, Phyllis married Bernard Heikens in Jackson, Minn. Their daughter Jane was born in 1956. The couple settled on the Heiken's family farm, where Phyllis raised her family and found a creative outlet sewing draperies for Tweetens.

Phyllis was born with an appreciation for art. She loved theater and acted in over a dozen performances including "On Golden Pond". She was a knitting artist and a food artist (delicious salads, pies, and carmel corn were specialties). She shared her appreciation for art by volunteering at the Lakes Arts Center. A daily fan of NPR, Phyllis enjoyed music, dancing, well-written words, and beautiful spaces. In 1999, Phyllis combined all her talents by building a beautiful permanent home on Lake Okoboji. The space and the hostess created a sanctuary for all who visited.

Phyllis was encouraged in her faith by the congregation at St. Alban's Episcopal Church in Spirit Lake.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Bernard; and her daughter, Jane Zaiger.

Left to cherish her memory are her daughter, Kohnne Bippus, and her husband, David, of Cherry Valley, Ill.; granddaughter, Laura Wells, and her husband, Tom, of Saginaw, Mich.; two great-granddaughters: Hadley and Kassy; two sisters: Beverly Beving of Spencer, Ia., and Mariel Oftelie and her husband, Phil, of Bellevue, Neb.; along with many other relatives and friends.

Warner Funeral Home in Spencer is in charge of arrangements.

Interment in Evergreen cemetery
 

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