Obituary of Richard A. Heitz

Richard Arthur Heitz

Richard “Dick” Arthur Heitz passed away at the age of 88 on May 2, 2018. He left this earth as he walked it, peacefully and surrounded by loved ones. He is survived by his devoted wife of 63 years, Doris (nee Harney) Heitz and his children; Diane Nichols, Donna Casey (Gene), and David (Teresa). He was a loving “Papa” to his six grandchildren; Chad (Bethany) Nichols, Andy Nichols, David Nichols, Brian Casey, Chris Casey, and Rachel Heitz, as well as great grandfather to Oliver Nichols and Emery Nichols. He is also survived by Doug Nichols, his son in law of 31 years and his caring nieces and nephews.

Dick was born May 9, 1929 to Arthur and Marion Heitz, and grew up with his sister Ruth Anne (Heitz) Sorensen in Hyde Park. After graduating from Withrow High School in 1947, he attended Purdue University where he majored in Chemical Engineering. While there he was member of the Reserve Officers Training Corps and the Purdue Order of Military Merit. Dick was a proud Purdue Class of 1951 alumnus, and always let it be known that he preferred the official Boilermaker locomotive logo over Purdue Pete. 

He entered the US Army’s Chemical Corps following graduation, and served as a First Lieutenant in England during the Korean War. He was the Platoon Leader of a unit that generated smoke to cover airstrips; which later fascinated his children.

After serving in the Reserves, Dick began a long and rewarding career working in the lab at Interchemical Corporation. His life changed when he met a cute young girl named Doris, who also worked for the company as a secretary. They were married on November 13, 1954. He retired from BASF Inmont (formerly Interchemical) June 30, 1988 as Vice President and General Manager of their Container Coatings Division. He was also President of the Cincinnati Paint and Coatings Association.

Dick loved card games; bridge, solitaire, cribbage and euchre. When traveling for business he’d bring home a deck of cards then given out by the airlines, having played solitaire with them on the plane. A favorite family activity was three to five player solitaire around the kitchen table, after which he’d demonstrate the ‘Heitz shuffle.’

Although he penned many letters to the club’s management expressing his views, he was a faithful Bengals fan. In the later years of his employment, he became hooked on the soap opera “All My Children” when visiting his mother during his lunch hour. He was a dedicated member and Past Master of the Syrian Shrine’s Melrose Lodge, and served in all three governing bodies of Madeira Presbyterian Church. Dick loved Diet Rite cola. It was not uncommon to see 40-50 two liters lined up in their garage, and he carried a gigantic mug full around the house all day. For years he cooked batches of goetta using his mother’s recipe but perfecting it with different spices. Aside from his daily breakfast of goetta and 2/3 of a bagel, he shared loaves of his goetta with his family.

He was a wise, patient, thoughtful and caring man; a devoted and generous husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather and uncle. His family was of utmost importance in his life, topped only by his love of Doris - who cared for him the majority of her life. His family is at peace that he’s now in a place where the Diet Rite flows freely and he remembers everyone.

A memorial service will be held Monday, May 7 at 4:00 pm at Madeira-Silverwood Presbyterian Church, 8000 Miami Avenue in Madeira with a reception in the church’s Fellowship Hall following. Memorials may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association at http://alz.org Alzheimer's Association, P.O. Box 96011, Washington, D.C. 20090-6011.