Obituary of Erwin William Heine

Erwin William Heine 89, passed away peacefully into the arms of our Savior at the home of his daughter in Los Lunas. Erwin was born in the Township of Pleasant, Lincoln County Kansas on June 23, 1931 to E. J. William, "Bill" and Sophie C. Heine. He was the second of three children born to the Heine family in the beautiful farming country of North-Central Kansas. He and his two sisters, Ruth and Lois, grew up on the family farm. He attended Bethlehem Lutheran School in the nearby town of Sylvan Grove, staying at the home of his Aunt Meta in town during the school week. After graduating Class Valedictorian from High School in 1949, he worked briefly on the family farm until he enlisted in the U.S. Army. After basic training, he was sent to Fort Bliss, Texas to learn the new mobile radar systems then being deployed with U.S. ground troops. He was deployed to Korea when hostilities broke out there in 1950. He was awarded the Silver Star for bravery in combat, when a determined enemy force attempted to capture his unit's men and equipment. Erwin, along with other U.S. soldiers, fought off the enemy until the radar site could be destroyed to prevent its capture, then conducted an orderly retreat until they reached friendly forces nearby. He was awarded two other medals for his service in Korea. Returning home from Korea, he was recruited for his experience with radar to work for the Boeing Aircraft Company in Wichita Kansas. He moved with the company to Fort Worth, Texas and later to St. Louis, Missouri before being recruited by Raytheon Corporation. After training in El Paso, Texas Raytheon sent Erwin to live and work in Fairbanks, Alaska with his new wife Martha. Opportunity presented itself again in the form of a technical position with Burroughs-UNIVAC Information Technology Company, (Unisys IT Company), taking him and his young family to Germany until he transferred back stateside to New Mexico in 1982. Erwin retired from Burroughs, now Unisys, in 1992, dividing his time after retirement between Albuquerque, NM and Sylvan Grove KS. He was the owner of B&B Vacuum Inc. in Los Lunas. Erwin is preceded in death by his parents, and his wife Martha, "Marly" Heine. He is survived by his eldest son Wyatt and his daughter Teresa Heine, her partner Shad Hunter, eldest daughter Coyla Heine, her fiancé Daniel "Joey" Williams and her sons Martin "Marty" and Cody Welshiemer, his third child, daughter RoseMarie Martinez and her husband Tim and their son Jacob, his fourth child, son Dirk Heine, his companion Gloria Baca and their daughter Samantha Ann Heine. He is also survived by his two sisters Lois Dunford and Ruth Feil, along with numerous very dear nieces and nephews. Cremation has taken place and memorial services will be held at Christ the King Anglican Church on Saturday, May 22, 2021 at 10 AM, (see address below). Reception following services to be determined by State Covid-19 Guidelines. Christian Burial Services will take place at Bethlehem Lutheran Cemetery, Sylvan Grove, KS at a later date this year. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the following: Christ the King Anglican Church 2525 Vermont NE Albuquerque, NM 87110 Telephone: (505)-345-1450 Email: admin@ctkabq.org Website: ctkabq.org Bethlehem Lutheran Church 308 N. Indiana Ave. Sylvan Grove, KS 67481 Telephone: (785)-526-7152 Email: bethlehem@wtciweb.com Arrangements Entrustred to: Riverside Funeral Home of Los Lunas 820 Main Street NE, Los Lunas, NM 87031 505-565-1700