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Lois Heise Obituary

Lois Marie Heise, 91 passed away peacefully on Saturday, Jan. 12, 2019 at the Mayo Clinic Healthy System - Lake City Care Center, where she had resided since May 2018 after her strong heart finally grew too weary to carry on.
    Lois was born May 16, 1927, in Red Wing to Arthur and Madonna German.  Lois grew up on a farm outside Goodhue where she attended school and graduated from Goodhue High School in 1945, which she never failed to remind us of if Goodhue beat Lake City.
    On Sept. 2, 1949, Lois married William Frederick Heise of Lake City at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Goodhue. Lois and Bill moved to rural Lake City where they farmed until 1963.  Bill and Lois eventually raised five children and moved to Lake City in 1969 where they both resided for the rest of their lives.
    Lois drove bus for many years and also worked at the Rose Clothing Store in Lake City. In 1975, Lois began working at Lake City Public Schools where she eventually became a paraprofessional assisting young learners in reading and math.  It was an experience she loved and she continued to volunteer at Bluff View long after she retired in 1989.
    Lois was deeply involved in contributing her time and energies throughout her life to voluntary organizations which included the Lion’s International Organization that Bill was deeply involved in; as well as the Mayo Clinic Health Systems Auxiliary, and both the Ladies Aid and Altar Guild at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Lake City.  
    Both Bill and Lois enjoyed socializing with friends, dancing, and decades of card playing with their card party club that met on raucous Sunday nights for over six decades.  They also loved to spend time at the family cabin and travelling. After Bill’s passing and her retirement, Lois continued her passion for travelling which eventually included countries throughout Europe and almost the entire United States.  She especially enjoyed Branson, Mo., though she could never convince any of her children to join her. Lois also continued her and Bill’s passions of following Lake City High School athletics, especially football, basketball, baseball, and dance.  She especially enjoyed watching her grandchildren participate in sports and dance and insisted on watching the videos when the decline in her physical health made it very difficult to attend the events.
    Lois is survived by her sons, Steven Heise and James (Shannon) Heise, both of Lake City; her daughters, Cheri Heise of Stillwater, Constance Heise Sturgis of  Dorset, Vt., and Lori (Joe) Morgan of Lake City; 10 grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; her sister, Marilyn Jostock of Rochester; her brother-in-law, Roger Heise of Goodhue; and numerous nieces and nephews. Lois was preceded in death by her parents, Arthur and Madonna German, and her husband, William Frederick Heise.
    The last couple of years of Lois’s life were not easy but she was attended and assisted by the wonderful staffs at The Bluffs, the High Street House and finally the Lake City Care Center. The family would especially like to thank Heidi Nelson, Jennie Niss, Missy Ferguson, Sue Hyland and Tanya Hall, they were so good to her and our family as her health continued to decline. We also want to extend our sincere thanks to Dr. Spano, Dr. Ziebarth and Pastor Cordes for looking out for Mom in such a compassionate manner. We cannot thank all of these people enough for the incredible work they do for our community.
    There will be a funeral service at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Lake City on Wednesday, Jan. 30, at 2 p.m. with Pastor Paul Otto officiating. There will be a one hour visitation preceding the service and afterwards, a private family graveside service will be held at St. John’s Cemetery.  A luncheon will be provided after the funeral hosted by the St. John’s Ladies Auxiliary in the church basement. Since Mom loved to socialize there will also be a celebration of her life at the Lake City VFW from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. for family and friends. As Mom requested, memorial donations can be sent in her name for the Lake City Education Foundation and/or the Lake City Athletic Booster Club at 300 S. Garden Street, Lake City Public Schools, Lake City, MN, 55041.  Go Tigers!
    Mahn Family Funeral Home, Anderson-Peterson Chapel in Lake City is in charge of arrangements. Online condolences may be placed at www.mahnfamilyfu neralhome.com.

 

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ISSN 2994-1059 (print)  ISSN 2994-1067 (online)