Esther Heit

Esther L. Heit, age 97, of New Hampton, Iowa died Monday, Aug 12, 2013 at New Hampton Nursing and Rehab. Her Life Story will be 11:00 a.m. Saturday, August 17, 2013, at Holy Family Parish, St. Mary’s Center in New Hampton with a Mass of Christian Burial at 11:15 a.m.. Father Mark Osterhaus will be the officiant. Burial will be in St. Mary’s Cemetery, New Hampton. Friends may call from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm Friday at the Hugeback-Johnson Funeral Home in New Hampton and from 10 a.m. until time of services at the church. Esther was born September 04, 1915 on the Lange family farm, west of Waucoma, Iowa. She was the only child of August and Lena (Grimm) Lange. Her father died of Scarlet Fever when she was six months old. Esther grew up during the depression and in 1933 graduated from New Hampton High School. That fall, on her 18th birthday she began her 5 year teaching career in a one-room rural school at Devon, Iowa. On August 30, 1939 she married Jerome J. Heit at St. Mary’s Church, New Hampton. They farmed and raised their family southeast of New Hampton. Part of this farm has been in the Heit name since 1876. She lived on their farm from the day she was married until moving into Kensington Assisted Living on her 93rd birthday in 2008. Over the years she enjoyed sewing, crocheting, knitting, reading, baking, gardening and bingo at the Senior Citizen Center. Most recently she enjoyed the internet, going on day trips and playing the card game ‘Kings on the Corner”. Additional highlights of her life were moving into the new house in March of 1958, several trips throughout the US, Canada and four to Europe. She especially enjoyed visiting the childhood home of her Grandma Grimm in Zweisimmen, Switzerland. She is survived by five children: Edward Heit of Phoenix, Ariz., Allen (Linda) Heit of New Hampton, Ronald Heit of New Hampton, Elaine (Paul) Campbell of St. Paul, Minn. and Duane Heit of Cresco, Iowa; twelve grandchildren: Irene Heit, Joe Heit, Mary Fisher, Connie Kyes, Joleen Hayden, Dan Heit, Shelly Heit-Daly, Sondra Thalken, Jamie Heit, Christy Heit, Susan Troy and Sarah Daunoras; 10 great-grandchildren, and the 11th due in September. She was preceded in death by her husband, Jerome on July 13, 1999.