Eleanor Heitzig
Jerseyville | Save
Eleanor Eberlin Heitzig, age 97, departed this life on July 21, 2019 to be with the Lord. She was born on May 4th 1922 in St. Louis Missouri. She attended St. Norbert’s elementary school and graduated from Hardin High School. She met Bernard J. Heitzig in 1940 and they were married on October 4, 1941 at St. Norbert’s Church in Hardin IL by Reverend Edmond Butler. They shared 62 years of marriage where they lived on the family farm and raised their seven children. Bernard died in 2004. Her mother, Augusta Eberlin and step father T. P. Wilkinson preceded her in death.
Eleanor worked at International Shoe factory in Jerseyville for a short time after marriage. She was a lifelong member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Westwoods. She served as a member of the St. Mary’s Altar Society and worked at the St. Mary’s annual picnics and was active in other parish activities. In June 2015, she was designated as a Woman of Distinction by Bishop Thomas John Paprocki, Bishop of the Springfield Illinois Diocese.
She was loving and caring wife and mother who always put her family first. She loved spending time with her children and their spouses, her grandchildren and their spouses and great grandchildren. She was fondly known as Grandma Ellie by her grandchildren and great grandchildren.One of her many acts of love was to make a quilt for each of her children and her grandchildren. In case you are counting, that is 26 handmade quilts. They were usually presented at Christmas time. Her family was the joy of her life.
Sundays were always a special day for Mom. After Mass many of her family would gather at her house for milk, coffee and donuts (or on special occasions her famous cinnamon rolls) to catch up on the family news of the week. Since most all of the family is located within a short distance from Mom’s house, many would visit during the week and have coffee with her, get her mail or just stop by to talk and see how she was doing.
She was an avid St. Louis Cardinal fan. Over the years, she attended games at all three ballparks in St Louis to watch her team play. She seldom missed a televised game. She loved reading many books that were checked out from the Jerseyville Public Library.
When she was in the care center, family members dropped by daily to check on her and to be with her at her lunch or dinner meal. She was fortunate to have a wonderful person as her roommate. Audrey Allen has not only became a good friend of mom and the family but we also referred to her as Mom’s Guardian Angel.
Surviving are her seven children; a daughter,Cathy and her companion Henry Steckel. Cathy lived with her and Bernard and cared for them all her life; six sons and their spouses, Pat & Karen of Alton, Mike and Jane, Tom& Cathy, Jerry and Linda, John& Sheri and Tony& Carol all of Jerseyville and a cousin, Barbara Eberlin of Alton and cousins in Hardin and Alton.
She was blessed with 20 grandchildren (1 deceased, Rebecca Suzanne Heitzig), 3 step-grandchildren, 28 great grandchildren plus one scheduled to arrive in the fall (2 deceased, Russell Heitzig and Lewis Heitzig), 7 step great-grandchildren and 1 great-great grandchild.
We as a family feel very blessed to have had her in our lives as our gentle loving mother, (grandmother, great grandmother and great-great grandmother) who was beautiful, devout, family-focused, humble, patient, kind-hearted, and selfless; as a mentor, role model, listener, counselor and compassionate friend. She set the bar very high for us.
Visitation will be at Crawford Funeral Home in Jerseyville from 4 pm to 7 pm on Sunday July 28th. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Westwoods at 11 am on Monday July 29th. Burial will follow and be in St. Mary’s cemetery.
Memorials can be made to St. Francis/Holy Ghost School, Jerseyville Public Library or Masses.
Crawford Funeral Home
