Eleanor Heckendorn, born May 30, 1937,
in Newton, KS, died June 8, 2022, in Eagle, Idaho. The daughter of
Martha M. and the Rev. Dr. David C. Wedel, her early life revolved
around music and faith. At 17, she was baptized into the Mennonite
church. In 1955, she married Arnold Heckendorn, her beloved husband
for 65 years. For the next 25 years, she focused on rearing four
children and supporting Arnold?s career. After the last son?s
college graduation, she returned to college and earned a Bachlors
Degree from the University of Phoenix. She worked for the avionics
division of Honeywell, representing them for clients including Boeing
and Airbus. She loved traveling, especially her business trips to
Europe. After her retirement, she and Arnold traveled the U.S. with
their RV to see their nine grandchildren and volunteer as camp hosts
at several Idaho State Parks. They lived in Sun City, AZ for 20
years, where she enjoyed singing in the choir, serving on the worship
and music committee at Willowbrook United Methodist Church. She
played violin and was Vice President of the Sun City Community
Orchestra and did silver work. In 2019, she and Arnold moved to
Eagle, ID. She was predeceased by Arnold in January 2021, and is
survived by her four children, Cris Vallee (Don), Deb Dillner (Doug),
Steve Heckendorn (Kristen), and Frank Heckendorn, as well as her
eight granddaughters and one grandson.
