June M. Heidelberg

June M. Heidelberg, 88, of South Bend, Indiana passed away at 12:40 p.m. Saturday, December 29, 2018 in Healthwin Specialized Care Facility.  June was born on May 23, 1930 in Los Angeles, California, and she was raised in southern and central Oklahoma. Her loving parents, Claude and Audrey (Davis) Heidelberg, taught her the values of love, commitment, and courage, and she was the first person in her family to go to college, graduating from East Central College (now University) in Ada, Oklahoma in 1949. She then began a long career of teaching and educational administration in Oklahoma and Texas, until her retirement from Oliver Wendell Holmes High School, San Antonio, Texas in 2000. Teaching, and the education and formation of young people, were her life’s work. She taught speech, competitive forensic speaking, and English, and during her years in the Texas school system, she was one of the most successful  coaches in the state, with multiple state championships in debate and forensic speaking. Even more importantly, she touched the lives of innumerable high school students, as a teacher and a wise and sympathetic adviser, mentor, and friend.   A convert to Catholicism, she was an active member of parish communities throughout her life, taking on positions of service and leadership as long as her health allowed.  Her first marriage, to Frank W. Porter, ended in divorce, and she later married Roger Newton, who died in 1985, and Henry Heidelberg, who died in 2016.  After Henry’s death, she moved to the South Bend/Mishawaka area to be closer to her daughter, Jean Porter. During her time here, she continued to live an active life of service to others, extending love and warm support to her family and to the many new friends that she made in this community, and enjoying visits to restaurants, shopping, and reading.  June is survived by her daughter Jean  and her husband, Joseph Blenkinsopp, who reside in South Bend, Indiana.  A Catholic Funeral Service will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, January 5, 2019 in the Kaniewski Funeral Home, 3545 N. Bendix Drive.  Burial will take place in Cedar Grove Cemetery. A visitation will be held from 10:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. Saturday in the funeral home.  The family would like to extend special thanks to the staff of Healthwin for their excellent care in the last days of June’s life.  Memorial contributions in her name may be made to the South Bend Center for the Homeless or the Food Bank of Northern Indiana.  To send online condolences, please visit kaniewski.com.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of June M. Heidelberg, please visit our floral store.