Loretta V. Heihn

Loretta was born in Tripp, So. Dakota & graduated from Tripp High School in 1939. She married her sweetheart, Leonard on Valentine’s Day 1942 before he was called to active duty. Loretta started work in Washington DC doing government map revisions for the war effort, eventually transferring to California in 1944. After WW II they lived in Oakland for 14 years and Loretta worked for Colgate-Palmolive’s Berkeley warehouse - managing orders and driving a forklift for 33 years until she retired at age 57. They raised 2 children, Cheryl & Kevin, in Fremont where she lived for 61 years. Loretta loved cooking and baking and had a very large cookbook collection. In retirement, she also took many floral arranging courses and became a very adept floral artist creating many professional quality arrangements for weddings, memorials and her Fremont church - Holy Trinity Lutheran. She also loved gardening raising beautiful roses, fuchsias & vegetables. Cake decorating classes were also a favorite pastime and she made many beautiful & unique birthday cakes for the grandchildren & other family events. She had a great sense of humor and loved her family and church community. She was very active in the daily lives of Kevin’s 2 children Trisha and Shawn who lived next door for many years. After moving to Carlton Senior Living in Fremont in 2018 she moved in with her daughter & family in early April 2020 in order to safely quarantine together. The family is so thankful for the time they were able to spend together before she passed away peacefully with her daughter Cheryl at her side on May 2. Her infectious smile, humor & pleasant nature will be sorely missed along with her gratitude for all she’d been given. She will live forever in the hearts of her surviving family: daughter Cheryl & son-in-law Dennis, her 3 grandchildren Trisha Heihn of Half Moon Bay, Shawn Heihn of Henderson, Nv. & Melissa Gunsell of San Francisco. Loretta was predeceased by her husband Leonard in 2002 after 60 years of marriage & by her son Kevin in 2007. A private family internment was held May 7th and a Celebration of Life will be held at a future date at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Fremont when gatherings are possible. Donations in her memory can be made to Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 38801 Blacow Rd., Fremont, CA. 94536.

Loretta V. Heihn

August 24, 1921 - May 2, 2020