Obituary for Marilyn K. Heitzman
Marilyn Kay Heitzman (née Stidham) was called to her heavenly home early Sunday morning, January 7, 2024. She passed away in her home, on the family farm near Eudora, Kansas. Marilyn was born on November 14, 1937, in Catlettsburg, Kentucky. She was 86 years old.
Marilyn graduated from Huntington High School in Huntington, West Virginia, in 1956. She attended Bob Jones University and Marshall College, and she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Denver in 1960. Upon graduation, she was hired as a design artist for Hallmark Cards in Kansas City, Missouri.
Marilyn married Paul Raymond Heitzman on April 12, 1963. They had three children together and seven grandchildren, and they shared 59 years of love and commitment. Not long after their marriage, Paul and Marilyn, along with Paul’s parents, purchased their farm near Eudora, Kansas. Soon after the birth of their first child, Marilyn chose to give up her promising career at Hallmark and devoted herself to being a full-time farm wife and mother. However, she never lost her passion for art and continued to draw, paint, and create for the rest of her life.
Once her children were in school, she returned to the workforce as a paraprofessional with the Special Education Cooperative in the Eudora school district. Later, she became the librarian at Nottingham Elementary School, a position she held until her retirement in 1998. Friends and family will remember Marilyn as a kind, gentle, and loving woman who was also a proud and devoted grandmother to her seven grandchildren. She had a great love and empathy for all animals, especially those who had the good fortune to be her pets. No animal ever had a better friend than Marilyn. She was a lifelong Christian and faithful member of Hesper Friends Church near Eudora, Kansas.
Marilyn was preceded in death by her husband, Paul; her parents, Robert Bruce Stidham and Ura Tay Stidham (née Lyon); her beloved aunt, Sarah Lotus Lyon; her sister, Shirley Joan Wiseman (née Stidham); her brother, Tallmadge Stidham; and her daughter, Patricia Ann Heitzman.
She is survived by her son, Richard Dalton Heitzman, of Holton, Kansas, his wife, Aimie, and children, Jeffrey, Abigail, Gladys, and Olivia; her daughter, Sally Jo Johnson (née Heitzman) of Eudora, Kansas, her husband, David, and children, Tyler, Haley, and Riley; and her cherished dog, Speedy.
A memorial service and celebration of life for Marilyn will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, January 13, 2024 at Hesper Friends Church. A visitation with the family will be held prior to the services beginning at 10 a.m. Services at 11:00 AM
She will be laid to rest at the Eudora Cemetery. Donations in lieu of flowers and other gifts may be made to Hesper Friends Church at 2355 N 1100 Rd, Eudora, KS 66025 and may be sent in care of Cedar Crest Memorial Chapel, 32665 Lexington Ave, De Soto, KS 66018
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Previous Events
Visitation
Saturday
13
Jan
10:00 AM
- 11:00 AM
Hesper Church
2355 N 1100 Rd
Eudora, KS 66025
Funeral Service
Saturday
13
Jan
11:00 AM
Hesper Church
2355 N 1100 Rd
Eudora, KS 66025
Graveside
Saturday
13
Jan
12:00 PM
Eudora Cemetery
2223 N1420 Road
Eudora, KS 66025
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