Obituary: Barbara F. Heimel, 101, a lifelong resident of Coudersport

 

COUDERSPORT, PA---Barbara F. Heimel, 101, a lifelong resident of Coudersport, died just after sunrise on Monday, Nov. 11, 2024, at Cole Manor in Coudersport, the same building in which she was born. 

Born Oct. 31, 1923, in the Coudersport Hospital, she was the third child of William Delos Fish and Grace Winifred Stevens Fish. 

Raised in Coudersport during the Great Depression, Barbara Jean was nurtured in a family that embraced the value of hard work tempered with generous doses of the outdoors, reading, music, conversation -- all with the awareness of the importance of building and contributing to community. 

Barb was, by all accounts, a sunny child, with a bright smile and positive outlook that carried her through a long life. She graduated as salutatorian of the Coudersport High School Class of 1941 and was offered a scholarship to attend Waynesburg College. But the turmoil of World War II led her down a different path. 

She and her sweetheart, Joseph P. Heimel, eloped and were married in Buffalo, N.Y. on March 19, 1942. They lived in Buffalo for a short time before Joe joined the U.S. Army Air Force and prepared to deploy to Europe, where he would fly multiple missions as a tailgunner on a B-17 in the 483rd Bombardment Group. 

Barbara went home to anticipate Joe’s return and await the birth of their first child. She would live in Coudersport for the rest of her life, raising a family on North East Street. Decades later, she moved into Dick and Barb Neefe’s “little yellow house” on Oak Street before transitioning to Cole Manor after a stroke three years ago. She planted and tended flower and vegetable gardens in all three places.

 In the early 1960s, Barbara went to work at the family-owned Enterprise Publishing Association, publisher of The Potter Enterprise, an award-winning weekly newspaper. She learned the printing business from the ground up, undeterred by notions that it was considered “men’s work.” She moved from linotype operator to compositor, layout artist, scheduler, and mailroom supervisor, adding to her skill set as printing moved from predominately letterpress to offset. 

Following the death of her father in 1969, she became part owner of the business, along with her brother William D. Fish Jr. and his wife Jill Carlson Fish. Barbara assumed management of the printing and production end of the business and retired in 1987, shortly after the business was sold. 

Meanwhile, with the closing of Heimel’s Market, Joe also retired. This afforded the couple opportunity to travel, both in the United States and abroad. They took three trips to Europe, where they toured in Italy, France and England on bicycles. Travel in the U.S. involved leisurely trips across the country, camping from the back of their pickup truck. 

Barb was a fixture at Christmas House, the local non-profit devoted to helping families in Potter County. Countless children enjoyed a brighter Christmas due to her volunteer efforts.

Her interest in genealogy began with membership in the Allegewi Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and collecting family stories passed down by her parents. Along with her cousins, she compiled an impressive archive of family history. 

Daily reading from newspapers and periodicals and her own extensive library of fiction and non-fiction fed Barbara’s endless curiosity and interests. She was active in supporting the Coudersport Public Library and for many years assisted with its Books Unlimited fundraiser. A voracious reader, she was first in line for new releases from her favorite authors. Her non-fiction tastes were wide-ranging, from archaeology to cooking to history, often surprising library staff with her intriguing requests for inter-library loans. 

A member of the Potter County Historical Society, she also volunteered there, lately spending time organizing the “school room” and its resources. She was also a member of the Independence (N.Y.) Historical Society in Whitesville, N.Y., birthplace of her father. 

Barbara was a long-time member of First Presbyterian Church in Coudersport which she joined as a young woman. She was elected to several terms as an Elder and Deacon and was active in the Women’s Association. She also served as a member of several Northumberland Presbytery committees, helping to shape fundamental policies adopted by Presbyterian churches throughout central Pennsylvania. Her broader church involvement included mission trips with the ecumenical Northern Tier Mission Team. 

Survivors include her five children, Steven (Johanna Eurich) of Anchorage, Alaska, Timothy (Marybeth) of Freedom, Christopher (Connie) of Roanoke, Va., Jane Metzger (Arthur) and Paul (Lugene), both of Coudersport. Grandchildren, Brodie Ransom, Denise Heimel, Scott Heimel, Jean Allen, Maureen Leech, Shawn Narry, Sarah Hepple, Kate Day, Joseph Metzger, Christopher L. Heimel, Paul J. Heimel, Justin Pucci, Zachary Pucci and Blair Heimel; 23 great-grandchildren and two great-great grandchildren; nieces Mary Heimel Burr and Barbara Jean Owens; nephews Carl Heimel and J. Frederick Fish, and their families.

 She was preceded in death by her husband, Joseph P. Heimel, who died in 2004; two sisters, Marian Brown and Patricia Graves; and her brother, William D. Fish Jr. 

Family and friends may call on Saturday, December 7, 2024, from 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church, 402 N. Main Street, Coudersport, where a memorial service will be follow at 1:00 p.m. with her pastors, the Rev. Warren Cederholm Jr. and Donald Caskey, officiating. Interment will be in Eulalia Cemetery, Coudersport. 

Memorial donations may be made to the Coudersport Public Library, 502 Park Avenue, Coudersport PA 16915 or to a charity of the donor’s choice. 

Barbara’s family entrusted her care and cremation arrangements to Kevin J. Dusenbury, funeral director/owner of the Virgil L. Howard Funeral Home, Shinglehouse. 

To express condolences, light a candle or share a fond memory of Barbara, please visit www.virgillhowardfuneralhome.com or the Virgil L. Howard Funeral Home Facebook page.