HEIT, John Marvin

Age 88, of Brookville, passed away Thursday, December 22, 2016. John was born on Nov. 3, 1928 to Jack and Genevieve Heit in Kansas City, MO. He graduated from Hayden Catholic High School in Topeka, KS and joined the Army, serving in the Aleutian Islands, AK during WWII. He flew in the P61 Night Fighter, the first plane with radar. He returned to Kansas after the war and attended Kansas State Univ. He married Ruth Leora Dandurand and to this union 7 children were born. In 1958 they moved to Trotwood, OH and he worked as a typesetter and printer for Dayton Typographic Service. During that time he also served as chief of the Trotwood Rescue Squad. After retirement they moved to Salina, KS and became active at the Senior Center. John worked part time for Enterprise and delivered handicap buses all over America for El Dorado National. In 2013 they moved to Brookville, OH. John enjoyed pheasant hunting and helping with the wheat harvest at the May Farm in Tipton, KS. He was an avid hockey fan and was a former statistician for the Dayton Gems. He loved playing cards and calling his 7 children every night. He was a member of the VFW and the Tipton, KS chapter of the Knights of Columbus. Highlights of his life included flying on the Kansas Honor Flight to see the WWII Memorial, traveling to Alaska, Hawaii and Europe with his wife, going on a fishing trip to Alaska, attending hockey games with his family and celebrating his 65th anniversary. John was preceded in death by his wife Lee and grandson, Jonathan May. He is survived by his children, Sharon (Robert) May, of Tipton, KS, Jim Heit, of Redding, CA, Jan (Brian) Bakke, of Rochester, MN,  Bill (Lark) Heit, of Brookville, OH, Joe (Diane) Heit, of Dallas, TX, Nancy (David) Brown, of Kettering, OH and Chuck (Dawn) Heit, of Clayton, OH; 21 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren. Visitation will be held at the GILBERT-FELLERS FUNERAL HOME, 950 ALBERT RD., BROOKVILLE, from 2-4 PM on Saturday, Jan. 7. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations to Hospice of Dayton. A Funeral Mass and interment will take place at a later date in Tipton, KS. E-mail condolences may be sent by going online to www.gilbert-fellers.com