Holly E. (Heins) Heer (1925-2008)

HEER, HEINS

Posted By: Ames Tribune
Date: 2/20/2008 at 07:37:22

THE AMES TRIBUNE, Ames, Story County, Iowa, Tuesday, February 19, 2008.

Sept. 5, 1925-Feb. 13, 2008

Holly E. (Heins) Heer died Wednesday, Feb. 13, in Ames, of an antibiotic-resistant coronary infection. It was Holly's wish to be cremated and that her ashes be spread in her woodland property. A memorial service and reception will be scheduled sometime in May when the weather is warm and the wildflowers are in bloom, as she loved it most.

Holly E. Heer was born Sept. 5, 1925, in Moose Lake, Minn., the second of three children of Lloyd and Jessie Heins. The family lived in Elmore, Minn., before moving to Redfield, where she graduated from high school and starred on her girls' basketball team. She embarked on an education in veterinary medicine at Iowa State College. She ended her formal education upon her marriage to John F. Heer in 1947, but never abandoned her self-education. She remained in Ames the rest of her life, raising five children and becoming an adopted mother figure to countless others away from their own families while in Ames.

She had a passion for nature. She was a longtime member of the Ames Rock and Mineral Club. Field explorations were her favorite activity.

As a teen, she helped her parents operate a small town newspaper, and the last several years she volunteered to operate an antique linotype machine at the Iowa State Fair, being one of the last in the nation to have the required experience. She also had an avid interest in photography.

In addition to her children and grandchildren, she loved her extended relationships with an incredible array of acquaintances through the years. After the death of her husband, John, in 2000, she was able to enjoy a meaningful companionship with Lewie Beane, a fellow graduate of Redfield High School. She maintained her independence, living in her own home and driving to her family's most recent Christmas celebration.

She is survived by her two brothers, five children and seven grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, John; and companion, Lewie Beane.

Memorial contributions (noted in the memory of Holly Heer) may be mailed to The Nature Conservancy, Attn: Treasury, 4245 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 100, Arlington, VA, 22303-1606.

Adams Funeral Home assisted the family with arrangements.

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