Loren Nedward Heidner, age 69, passed away on Wednesday, February 12, 2014, at Schowalter Villa in Hesston, Kansas. He was born on January 30, 1945, in Glasgow, Montana, to Nelson and Dorothy (Thomas) Heidner.
Loren was the youngest of four sons born to Nelson and Dorothy. A daughter died in infancy. Loren’s mother died when he was nearly a year old. His father remarried, and Loren knew Ruth (Schultes) Heidner as his mother. A younger brother and sister soon completed the family.
Loren grew up on a farm in rural Wolf Point, Montana. He attended Wolf Point public schools into high school and also attended Wessington Springs Academy in Wessington Springs, South Dakota. He considered Wessington Springs Academy his alma mater. He received his G.E.D. from the Newton Public Schools.
Loren was baptized and admitted to the Gospel Fellowship Mennonite Brethren Church at Wolf Point in September of 1957. He was currently a member of Koerner Heights Church of the Mennonite Brethren in Newton.
As a young man, Loren joined a wheat harvest crew, followed the harvest to Kansas, and decided to make Kansas his home. He married Janis Buschman in 1966, and they and their two sons lived in Walton, Kansas. Loren and Janis divorced in 1986. Loren worked at several manufacturing companies in the Newton area including the Tumbleweed trailer factory and Excel Industries. Most recently, he worked at Norcraft (Mid-Continent Cabinetry) for nearly 25 years and felt very close to the employees there. Loren and Marian Zook Heidner were married June 18, 1988, and made Newton their home.
Loren loved his family and people in general. He thrived on music, expressed especially by his membership in the Kansas Mennonite Men’s Chorus, his annual trips to the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, and his collection of harmonicas and odd instruments. He also loved wood, televised wrestling, and anything with wheels.
Loren is survived by his wife, Marian, of Newton, and son, Timothy, of Joplin, Missouri. He is also survived by three brothers, Tom (Margaret) and Ken (Jane) of Wolf Point, and Dale (Irma) of Boseman, Montana, and one sister, Marilyn (Arlen) Hilkemann of Wolf Point. He also leaves many nieces and nephews and the host of friends he held in his heart because he saw only good in every person and truly never met a stranger.
Preceding him in death were his parents, his son, Nedward, his sister, Karen, his brother Don, and his sister-in-law, Velma.
Funeral services will be held at Koerner Heights Church of the Mennonite Brethren, 320 North Meridian, Newton, Kansas on Monday, February 17, 2014 at 10 A.M. Memorials may be made to Shakespeare Garden Society, Wessington Springs or Fresno Pacific Biblical Seminary both in care of Peterson Funeral Home which is in charge of the arrangements. Viewing at Peterson Funeral Home on Sunday from 1 to 5 P.M. Family will be present from 2 to 4 P.M.
We will miss Uncle Loren and his love of music. So glad he could attend the last few family reunions. The hope of Heaven is real. Love and prayers for Marian.
We sure enjoyed Loren at the family reunions. He sure had fun with his music! We’re thankful that now his mind is clear, and he’s making music in Heaven!
Loren may have been more quiet than his usual self for the past number of months but now he must surely be singing his heart out with the heavenly men’s choir.
Our thoughts and prayers are with you, Marion & Timothy. Uncle Loren compassion was shown so much when I got to stay with them 2 months. He was a big part of my learning to play and own a marimba. I heard his men’s choir on tour in Canada, drove his cars, enjoyed his laughter and efforts to keep us all close.
My uncle is and always be one the greatest men I know. I will miss him very much. I love uncle Loren.