Elmer A. Heider

Elmer A. Heider, 90 of Grand Island died Thursday, March 20, 2014 at St. Francis Medical Center. Services will be at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, March 29, at Grace Lutheran Church. The Rev. Daniel Bremer will officiate. Burial will be at the Westlawn Memorial Cemetery. Military honors will be rendered by the U.S. Navy and United Veterans Honor Guard. Visitation will be from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, March 28 at All Faiths Funeral Home. Mr. Heider was born June 24, 1923 to Ferdinand and Clara (Dankert) Heider on the farm near Grand Island where he lived his entire life. Survivors of the immediate family include four sons, Glenn Heider of Lincoln, Curtis and Robin Heider of Columbia, Mo. (and grandchildren Benjamin Heider of Indianapolis, Ind. And Clara Heider of Columbia, Mo.), Steve and Debra Heider of Grand Island, and Jon Heider of Grand Island (and grandchildren Lakeisha Heider, Jamin Heider, and Felicia Heider all of Grand Island), a daughter, Karen Klein (and life partner Steve Cross) of Omaha, a former daughter-in-law, Kerry Heider of Grand Island, two brothers and sisters-in-law, Herbert and Joanne Heider of Grand Island and Daniel and Dee Heider of Whittier Cal., three sisters and one brother-in-law, Irene Heider of Grand Island, Alice Weber of Grand Island, and Anne and Keith Bandimere of Nevada City, Cal. He was a hard worker from the beginning as at age 3 he helped to carry bricks during the construction of the farmhouse which his parents built in 1926. He received his education at Trinity Lutheran School and Grand Island Senior High School and began farming full time as a teenager. He was a World War II Veteran, serving as a fireman on the USS Sullivans and other ships. He was on a ship heading for Japan when the war ended and he then helped to decommission ships. After he was honorably discharged in 1946, he returned to the farm. He married his beloved wife Ethel (Kroeger) on August 12, 1953. In 1956, he and Ethel became charter members of Grace Lutheran Church, where he served as an elder and was a member of the Lutheran Layman’s League. In addition to farming, he worked at the American Crystal Sugar Co. factory until it closed in 1964. This experience made him more aware of how foods were processed and he was an avid proponent of organic farming. Family and friends enjoyed the leanness and good taste of the beef and eggs from his farm. He also worked for his brother Herb in the construction business. In 1967, he began working at the Post Office and he worked there until his retirement in 1988. He always enjoyed gardening and traveling with Ethel and was an attentive caregiver for her toward the end of her life. After almost 58 years of marriage, he was preceded in death by his wife Ether in 2011. He was also preceded in death by two brothers, Herman Heider and August (Ray) Heider, one sister, Evelyn Quandt Peterson, and one granddaughter, Faith Marie Heider. Memorials are suggested to the Lutheran Hour or Grace Lutheran Church.

Elmer A. Heider

June 24, 1923 - March 20, 2014

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Elmer A. Heider

June 24, 1923 - March 20, 2014

What We Do

Flowers & Gifts

Plan Ahead

About Us

Resources

Obituaries

Grief & Healing

Contact Information

365 Days of Grief Support