Theresia Maria Heyden

Theresia Maria Heyden was born on October 22nd, 1923 in Lűchtringen, Ober Schlesien, Germany.

After the loss of her mom at an early age, the young noble girl was the pride and love of her father Wilhelm. Her choice to become a doctor started when she went to nursing school in Breslau at the age of 15.

Her dream was interrupted by World War II. As a nurse on the Eastern front she was dedicated to and excelled in her work, saving many lives through heroic actions. For her bravery and endurance she received the Iron Cross.

Captured by the Red Army in 1944 , she was tortured and scarred for the rest of her life. Her attempt to escape from forced labor in the coal mines failed, but she was successful later in her escape from a forced labor camp in Ukraine in 1947-48.

After walking months, she reached a safe house in Hamburg and was introduced to Peter, who became the love of her life. In 1952 these two exceptionally gifted people married (both were Mensa members).

With the horrifying memories of the prison camp, they decided to emigrate to the United States in 1958. Planning to move back to Europe in 1968, they reversed the decision and decided to stay in the US after the Soviet Union invaded Czechoslovakia in 1968.

After a relatively brief stay in New York, Peter accepted an executive job that would bring them to San Marino in California. This became their beloved State. In 1974, upon Peter’s retirement, they decided to move to Oceanside.

The proximity of Camp Pendleton and the large number of Vietnamese refugees at that time inspired Theresia, a nurse practitioner, to start her compassionate and human value based volunteer work. She and Peter did all they could to help Vietnamese families integrate in the American Society. Many of the babies that she helped see the light still recognize her as their “mother” and she still highly praised by those who knew or met her, in the Vietnamese Community.

After a long and lingering illness the love of her life, Peter, passed away in 1988. He would never leave her side, as she always remembered him.

His passing encouraged her to focus even more on doing well and being a role model and inspiration for others. Next to her engagement for the WHO, she built schools for girls in Turkey and Afghanistan, she lived with the Stone Age people and traveled extensively trying to improve life wherever she went and leave an indelible footprint of fairness, love and compassion.

At home in Oceanside she became a prominent and beloved member of the local Rotary Chapter, and grantor of OMA, the Oceanside Foundation, Tri-City Foundation, the Wounded Warriors foundation and of Mira Costa College. In her strive to give the world more and better educated nurses, she made an everlasting legacy for her beloved Mira Costa College.

After being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, her public presence gradually fainted in the last year. Until the end, she remained the same amazing character with a disarming smile and warm touch.

Those who were fortunate enough to being called her friend, will forever carry with them the wonder she brought to their hearts and remember the great stories she shared with them. If there is a definition of nobility, Theresia was the living example of it in the broadest sense of the word.

Theresia passed peacefully away, strengthened by the holy sacraments on Saturday March 1st, 2019.

I was proud to be her friend. Theresia helped me to instill the same grace and inspiration in my heart as she had shown to so many.

Benne Piscaer