Heidi Reiser’s spirit was as vibrant as the colorful and crazy earrings she wore. Her time was cut short by pancreatic cancer on the last day of summer, September 21, 2024. Before she passed, she was adamant that her family share how much she loved this life and was grateful for her people in it.
Heidi loved her family.
Heidi met her husband of over 35 years, Steve, at the University of Nebraska. The two of them worked tirelessly putting family first above all else. She encouraged their kids, Matt and Anna, to explore their passions, chauffeuring them to dance rehearsals, piano lessons, choir concerts, and cross country meets. She strongly believed in sitting down for dinner at the kitchen table every night to give everyone a chance to talk about their day at school or work. When it came to having fun, Matt and Anna remember saying “this is the best day ever” many times throughout childhood, whether it was a trip to Disneyland or a picnic at Bluebird Canyon Beach in Laguna. Heidi was also a dedicated daughter. She braved many winter storms and connecting flights to pay frequent visits to her parents, Virgil and Carol, and cared for them through their own illnesses.
Heidi loved working with young people.
Nearly every year since graduating from the University of Nebraska in 1987, Heidi taught, tutored, and mentored young people. All of them grew to adore her (even the naughty kids, she noted). In Oklahoma City, she taught French and History at Mayfield Middle School, where she was brave enough to take a crew of 15 teenagers to France - twice! Every Thursday night you could hear her in the stands supporting the cheerleading team that she coached. After having kids of her own, she switched to substitute teaching, and later private tutoring. She said that working with a new group of kids every day made her feel like a real-life Mary Poppins. Having Mrs. Reiser as a substitute teacher meant you would learn something meaningful, and you would have fun doing it. Her tutoring sessions often ran long because she would end up helping with subjects that weren’t even on the agenda. Her influence as an educator was apparent when students would shout “Hi, Mrs. Reiser!!!!” in the halls between classes, or even at the grocery store years after she subbed their class.
Heidi loved her community.
Heidi hailed from North Platte, Nebraska, a small heartland town where people know their neighbors and bring each other food when they’re sick. She carried with her that small town attitude of serving others when she was a Rotary exchange student in New Zealand after high school. At Corpus Christi Parish in Aliso Viejo, Heidi sang soprano in the choir, led vacation bible school, and whipped up French crêpes at the food fair. She served on the Aliso Viejo Community Association events committee, flinging plastic eggs for the Easter egg hunt and jazzing up the Christmas tree lighting ceremonies. She served as PTA president at every school her kids attended, with a focus on preserving public school music education programs. She dreamed up some of her most elaborate events at Oak Grove Elementary, including the All Star Bash fundraiser and Spooktacular. She encouraged elementary schoolers to conquer their stage fright at the annual Variety Show, penning elaborate scripts that rivaled that of the SNL writers room. Heidi enthusiastically volunteered at each of her kids’ extracurricular activities. Whether it was sewing ballet costumes or chaperoning orchestra field trips, she believed it was important to give 100% to her commitments and leave each organization better than she found it.
Heidi loved the outdoors.
Heidi had a sense of wonder and restless energy that meant she would feel cooped up if she spent more than 5 consecutive hours inside. Over the years, she traveled to 20 national parks, hiking countless trails and perfecting the art of having a picnic out of the trunk of a Toyota Camry. She developed a deep appreciation of the American southwest and the local trails of Aliso Woods Canyon. She spent countless hours in her backyard tending to over 100 succulents and learning to identify bird calls better than any iPhone could. Those same birds and plants were her muses for many watercolor paintings in recent years.
Heidi was loving, practical, opinionated, passionate, creative, impatient, and ambitious. We will miss her sense of humor and zest for life. Please share your favorite stories and memories of Heidi. Instead of sending flowers, we ask that you make a donation in her honor to the Lustgarten Pancreatic Cancer Research Foundation.
A celebration of Heidi's ife will be held at on Friday, October 11th, 2024 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Fairhaven Memorial Services , 27856 Center Drive, Mission Viejo, California 92692.
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