Dorothy Ann Heying, of Hermann, passed away on Sunday May 28, 2017 at Frene Valley of Hermann Stonebridge.  Dorothy was born in St. Louis, Missouri, December 5, 1909, daughter of the late George and Mary (Hudson) Blair.  She was the wife of the late Geoffrey W. Heying.  They were married November 26, 1931 in Vandalia, Missouri. 
     
When Dorothy was 16, life changed dramatically for the entire Blair family.  Ramona, her sister, 12 years older than she, died in childbirth leaving three children:  an infant son, Ramon, and young daughters, Mary Jane and Betty Jo.  Dorothy’s parents immediately welcomed the youngsters into their Vandalia home.
              
Dorothy’s teaching career began while she attended Vandalia High School.  She took teacher training courses in addition to her regular school work, graduating in May, 1927.  In August after graduation, she was introduced to her first students in a one-room schoolhouse in the rural area of Washington County, north of Potosi, Missouri.  At the close of that school year, the spring of 1928, she attended George Washington University in Washington, D.C. to receive the necessary credit for renewal of her teaching certification.  During the next ten years, Dorothy taught in Montgomery and Warren Counties, Missouri, attending spring and summer sessions at Northeast Missouri State Teachers College in Kirksville.  In 1939, Dorothy received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education with a major in Social Studies and a minor in English.  Graduate work was completed in subsequent years at the University of North Colorado, Greeley. 
             
The outstanding career of Dorothy Heying extended from 1942 to May 1979, teaching 8th grade in Hermann Grade School, and Civics and English in Hermann High School.  She was the sponsor of the Junior-Senior Prom for many years, as well as the Bearcats pep squad.  Upon retirement, after 50 years in the classroom, Dorothy was made a lifetime member of the George F. Bayer Honor Society for sponsoring that organization.  She was a longtime member of the Missouri State Teachers Association and then the Missouri Retired Teachers Association.
      
In the Hermann community, Dorothy was an active member of the United Methodist Church where she belonged to the Women’s Society, taught Sunday school for many years and occasionally gave children’s “sermons.”  She was an active member of the Hermann Hospital Auxiliary, the Gasconade County Historical Society, the Alpha Theta Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma, and the German-American Club.  She has shared her home with visitors from Aarolsen, Germany, Hermann’s sister city.  
    
Dorothy celebrating her 107th birthday in December 2016 also brought state and community recognition.  December 13 was declared “Dorothy Heying Appreciation Day” in a proclamation presented to her by Mayor Robert Koerber.  Also that evening, she was the first of eight women to be inducted into the Hermann Lions Club, perhaps the oldest Lion in the world, receiving a Centennial Membership pin from State Representative Lion Justin Alferman.  Earlier in December she received special recognition from the Missouri State Teachers Association and the Montgomery County Area Retired School Personnel.     
              
She is predeceased by her husband, Geoffrey, and by Ramon Stathem, Mike Stathem, & Philip Stathem,Mary Jane Ahlstrom, Betty Jo Homan, Verneil (Heying) Baumstark, Roy & Larry Heying, Donald & Severn Heying.   Survived by nieces and nephews and great nieces & nephews.
              
Visitation will be held Tuesday from 4:00 to 8:00  at Toedtmann & Grosse Funeral Home, Hermann.

Funeral services will be held  10:00 a.m. Wednesday  at Hermann United Methodist Church, Hermann, with Rev. Beth Duckworth officiating.

In lieu of flowers, donations would be appreciated to:  Gasconade County R-1 Alumni Association, Hermann United Methodist Church, Best Bottom Cemetery, Historic Herman, Inc., or Hermann Hospital Auxiliary, all in c/o Toedtmann & Grosse Funeral Home.

 Service Information