Calling our Summit City home for more than 96 years, Robert J Heiny,  passed away peacefully Thursday, November 1, 2018 at his home where he considered himself a very blessed man.  A devout Catholic father, grandfather, business owner, salesman, and a cancer survivor, Bob Heiny achieved many milestones. Always ambitious as a very young boy, he remembered helping sack potatoes in his father's grocery store, and having an afternoon newspaper route daily, just collecting a mere 7 cents weekly from customers.  During his high school years at Central Catholic, Bob was a star forward on the basketball team when it won three consecutive state crowns and two National Catholic Tournament titles in 1939 & 1940, making him a local celebrity. During his college years, Heiny played a season of baseball at St Joseph in Rensselaer before enlisting in the US Army.  Luckily, he completed a year at Toledo U on their basketball team which was victorious at the 1943 NIT tourney and was awarded an engraved gold watch. When called into active duty, Heiny was a Tech Sergeant typing supply orders for two years stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, until being sent to the European warfront. His 9 th Infantry Army Battalion was engaged at the Rhine River near the bridge at Remagen attempting to reinforce that last route open to Berlin, but it collapsed on 17 March 1945. Relieved that WWII ended very shortly thereafter Heiny was awarded two Bronze Stars and two medals with his Honorable Discharge.

After serving his country, Heiny enrolled at Xavier University in Cincinnati, where he played again one season of basketball as a Musketeer forward.  Within a few years later Heiny married the love of his life and his classmate, Marge Disser on Thanksgiving Day in 1948, and together they reared their three daughters while he worked with brothers in the family grocery.  Shortly after Heiny began his own advertising business in 1954, he started his life-long work as a salesman – first, for himself, then with Sealtest Dairy for 20 years, and finally, at Jim Kelley selling cars another 15 years.  In the meantime, he began his decades involvement with community service that included being a volunteer basketball coach (13yrs), a Knight of Columbus (65yrs), a parish Eucharistic minister and usher (42yrs), plus a very dedicated Tues & Thurs early morning worker at the downtown St. Mary's Soup Kitchen (29yrs).  Long after Heiny reached an age for retirement, he still kept quite busy selling those giveaways while typing any orders and invoices without ever using a computer for the R-Jay Specialties income over the past 65 years.

His many cherished leisure activities included being an AVID golfer, tennis partner, biking or walking to daily Mass, playing Bridge or poker weekly, gardening, and traveling to visit relatives, or his seven grandchildren in varied locations.

In 2011 Heiny experienced the fantastic Honor Flight to DC with other 79 fellow World War II Veterans and Guardians to view all the war memorials there. Then, despite attending a few colleges, Heiny mentioned in an interview that his one regret in life was never having enough credits to obtain his under-graduate degree.  When the local newscaster informed the University of Saint Francis officials about Bob Heiny's unique dedication to his faith, family, and community service, they determined he had earned enough lifetime credits to award him with their special honorary college degree. At the May 2018 Commencement Exercises, USF bestowed upon Robert J Heiny an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters Degee for that extraordinary, exemplary long life right here in this locale.  Additionally, Bishop Luers High School presented Coach Heiny, their very first basketball team's coach from exactly sixty years ago, an Honorary Alumnus Knight Award during its 2018 Homecoming this Sept. Even more was in store for this veteran because Bob Heiny is now pictured and featured in a chapter book relating his military adventures alongside a couple dozen other WWII veterans in a newly released book entitled, We Gave Our Best authored by Kayleen Reusser.  Of course, T Sgt Heiny will be saluted at his graveside with a well-deserved full military burial honor guard ceremony.

Predeceased by his parents, Stella (Loos) and Lawrence E Heiny; and his siblings Nicholas, Joseph, Lawrence, Rosemary Bucklin, and Victora Fahey; Bob daily still mourned his beloved wife, Marge of 60 years who passed in 2008.

Heiny is survived by his daughters, Linda (L/C Ret.Daniel) Gilliland of Alamogordo, NM, Marie (Lynn) Partridge and Ann Heiny-Long of Fort Wayne; seven grandchildren, Megan (Louie) Cook-Bermes, Colonel Robert (Sabrina) Long, USAF, of Yorktown, VA, Kimberly Long (Michael) Neff and Jaclyn Long (Anthony) Osterhaus of Plano, TX, Sarah Gilliland (Josh) Schecht of Honolulu, HI, Richard Gilliland of Denver, CO, and John (Milly) Gilliland of Australia; blessed again with his beloved thirteen great-grandchildren, plus numerous nieces and nephews who ALL will miss his fantastic story-telling skills of the "good ol' days!"

Mass of Christian Resurrection will be Thursday, Nov. 8 at 11 a.m. at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church with calling one-hour prior, 10702 Aboite Center Road. Visitation is Wednesday from 2-4 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. at Covington Memorial Funeral Home, 8404 Covington Road, with a Rosary recited by Rev. Tony Steinacker at 7:30 p.m. Entombment will be at Catholic Cemetery. Memorial donations in lieu of flowers may be made to Saint Francis University, Bishop Luers High School, or to Visiting Nurse and Hospice Service.