Dolores Heins

Dolores Stratton Heins, of rural Vernon Center, passed away the first day of spring, Wednesday, March 21, 2007 two days after her 86th birthday, at Oak Terrace Assisted Living, North Mankato

Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, March 24, 2007 at St. Matthews Catholic Church, Vernon Center, with Rev. Tim Biren, officiating. Burial will be in St. Matthews Catholic Cemetery. Visitation will be from 4-7 p.m. Friday at Mankato Mortuary with a 3:45 p.m. prayer service and will continue one hour before service at church on Saturday. Memorials may be given to Guide Dogs for the Blind or the American Cancer Society.

Dolores was born March 19, 1921 to Roy M. and Catherine Cora M. (Bowe) Stratton in Good Thunder. She was baptized and confirmed at St. Josephs Catholic Church, Good Thunder. She attended school locally and graduated from high school in 1937. She continued her education at Beauty School in Mankato and worked briefly as a beautician. She then relocated to Minneapolis where she lived for ten years and worked for the railroad. She was united in marriage to Edward O. Heins on October 12, 1948. They had one child, James. Ed and Dolores spent their early years together at a ranch in Texas where as a newlywed, she struggled to learn to cook. It was a lifelong struggle as it turned out. She liked to laugh remembering Eds futile attempts to teach her to boil water and to bake bread. They eventually returned to the Good Thunder area to farm, and spent the rest of their working lives in agriculture. Dolores was an active participant in the farming operation. She was also an active member of St. Matthews Catholic Church. She enjoyed sewing, gardening, bird watching, and antiquing. She especially enjoyed being a surrogate grandmother to Kim and Kari Kopischke, daughters of her good friend and neighbor, Donna. Through Kari, Dolores became interested in and a supporter of Guide Dogs for the Blind.

Dolores is survived by her son, James Heins and his wife, Elizabeth van der Hagen of Vernon Center; sister, Evelyn Mountain of Vernon Center; nieces, Janet (Jay) Kienholz of Vernon Center, Rita (Brad) Marks of Owatonna, Pat (Mike) LaRue of Maple Grove; nephews, Dave (Bev) Mountain of Good Thunder, Tom (Judy) Mountain of North Mankato, John (Donna) Mountain of Waterloo, IA, Bill (Diane) Mountain of Eagle Lake Jerry (Marcia) Mountain of Brooklyn Park and Bob (Betty) Mountain of Mason City, IA; special friends and neighbors, Donna Kopischke and her daughter, Kim of Vernon Center.

Dolores was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Edward in 1984; brother, Robert Stratton, who was killed during WWII in France; and special friend and neighbor, Kari Kopischke in 2006.