Obituaries
Obituary for Clarence "Red" Heinz
Clarence A. “Red” Heinz, age 100, passed away on Sunday, September 15, 2019 at Lutheran Hillside Village in Peoria.
Red was born on July 31, 1919 in Brimfield IL, a son of Bernard and Mary Loescher Heinz. He had five siblings. He married Armella Draher on Oct. 12, 1946 in Peoria. She passed away Dec. 20, 1995.
Red is survived by two daughters, Sandy (Bill) Reese of Peoria and Christina (Don) Jacobs of Washington, IL, as well as one grandson, Michael (Rikki) Letizia, three granddaughters, Kari (Russell Boyd) Letizia-Harrell, Nicole (Mark) Robbins and Katie Jacobs (Patrick) Depenbrock. Also surviving are eight great-grandchildren, Jessica, Nicholas, Hannah, Alexandra, Andrew, Lucas, Madelyn and Jace, and several nieces and nephews. Also surviving are brother-in-law, George (Colleen) Draher and his best friend and neighbor, Sally Riley. Red was blessed with great neighbors on Circle Ct.
Red enlisted in the US Army Air Corps in July 1941 and was honorably discharged in June 1945 with the rank of Master Sergeant. He flew on the first B-24 Liberator from Ypsilanti, MI to California and Hawaii, Fiji Islands, New Caledonia, Australia, India and the Philippines, all as part of the Pacific Theater Operation. He was awarded two Purple Hearts and two Bronze Stars.
Red worked as a commercial milk route driver for Producer’s Dairy for 35 years and then was a “jack of all trades” at St. Vincent de Paul Church for 30 years. He was a founding member of St. Philomena, Holy Family and St. Vincent de Paul Churches.
Red was proud to serve as the Grand Marshall of the Veteran’s Day Parade in November 2016. He enjoyed starting his mornings with his McDonald’s coffee buddies.
Our family would like to thank Dr. Lionel Malebranche, Dr. Timothy LaHood and the staff of Lutheran Hillside Village for the excellent care they provided for our dad and grandfather.
A Funeral Mass will be 11:00 AM on Monday, September 23, 2019 St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church with a visitation beginning at 9:30 AM. Fr. Thomas Taylor and Fr. Donald Henderson will officiate and burial will follow at Resurrection Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Wounded Warriors Project or Lutheran Hillside Village.
Friends may sign the online guestbook or send condolences to www.wrightandsalmon.com
Previous Events
Visitation
Monday
23
Sep
9:30 AM
- 11:00 AM
St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church
6001 N University St
Peoria, IL 61614
Funeral Mass
Monday
23
Sep
11:00 AM
St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church
6001 N University St
Peoria, IL 61614
Cemetery Details
Location
Resurrection Cemetery & Mausoleum
7519 N Allen Rd
Peoria, IL 61614
Memorial Contribution
Wounded Warrior Project
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