Gary Gene Heeren

Gary was born to the late Harold Henry Heeren and the late Ida Marguerite Heeren (Keeney) on July 15, 1935, in Dumas, Texas. He grew up in Hemingford, Nebraska as the little brother of two older sisters, Haroldene and Carole.

His mother was a music teacher, and his father was an entrepreneur; owning a bar, an oil refinery, and a farming implement company to name a few of his diverse endeavors. Gary often helped his dad at work, including a job bartending at fourteen until the town police told his father that they’d shut the bar down if he continued to employ a minor.

He graduated from Hemingford high school in 1953 where he excelled at basketball and football and played trombone in the school band. He always loved being involved and also took part in drama, H-Club, student council, chorus, government, and was class secretary. Additionally, he was a sports editor and was part of the yearbook staff.

Gary studied at Doane College in Crete, Nebraska for a couple years before deciding that the Army was where he needed to be. He was stationed in Stuttgart, Germany and was a clerk typist at the 7th Army headquarters beginning in 1957.

In 1960, he began his long career in the airlines, beginning with Frontier and then with Air France, where he spent 35 of his 38 years as sales manager, rising up through the ranks to regional sales manager. It was during his years at Frontier that he met and married Alberta Rae Slaugh (deceased 1986), who was a flight attendant for Frontier. They had two children, Lisa and Mark.

Travel has always been a big part of his life and he went to nearly every continent through his work with Air France. He told many great stories of his trips, which included a chance to be in the cockpit of the Concorde as it landed in Paris.

His first wife passed in 1986 and following work moves with the airlines from Georgia to Fort Lauderdale, and St. Petersburg, he settled in Gulfport, Florida. It was here that he married Beryl Hamilton. He took great pride in putting his outstanding carpentry, design, and decorating skills to use, crafting a showpiece home and garden of the 1920’s “Roebuck” home where they lived. Built by Alva Roebuck as one of his catalog houses, the home remained on the Gulfport Tour of Homes and Gardens for several years, a source of pride for Gary.

Deeply dedicated to Alcoholics Anonymous, he regularly volunteered as an intake counselor, helping countless people in need. He sponsored many people on their way to sobriety over the years. He recently celebrated with AA his own anniversary of sobriety of forty years.

He was generous and active in his church and volunteered often, being particularly interested in helping others with addiction problems start their own path to sobriety.

Gary loved his two children, family gatherings, dogs and kids, travel, adventure, fourth of July fireworks, a good party, public speaking, helping others, his close friends, and chocolate chip cookies.

His ability to tell amazing stories of his travels and his quick and charming wit kept family and friends in stitches. He loved to laugh and had a joke or one-liner for every situation. He believed that the best life was a life of service to others, and to live with joy and laughter.

Gary is preceded in death by both his parents, and his sisters Carole Lynn Christ-Jesperson (2018) of Omaha, Nebraska and Haroldene Anne “Hal” Shreck (2018) of Aiken, South Carolina.

His memory will be cherished by daughter Lisa Ann Heeren Watson (Mike) of Marietta, Georgia, and son Mark Douglas Heeren (Jenni) of Stone Mountain, Georgia as well as many extended family members and friends.

A Celebration of Life service will be held at 2 p.m. at Roswell Funeral Home on June 25, 2023 with committal ceremony to follow. There will be a reception afterward to meet with family and tell fun stories about our Dad.

Roswell Funeral Home is at 950 Mansell Road, Roswell, GA 30076.

Please share your memories or condolences with the family at www.roswellfuneralhome.com.

For those who wish to donate in Gary’s memory, please consider the Alzheimer’s Association. www.alz.org.

Details of an additional ceremony for his extensive group of friends and loved ones in Florida will be announced soon.