I can’t believe it’s already been five years since Heide passed away. I miss laughing with her about ridiculous things. She always made me laugh. I wish I had spent more time with her. In 1990 we went as a family to Europe to bury my father’s ashes, and afterwards she made an album of pictures accompanied by her wry comments. Everyone was her target! That album is so funny; it still makes me laugh. Heide will always be in my heart, as I know she is in yours.

4 years and still miss you, dear Heide. I imagine you're entertaining the saints and angels in Heaven now.

Heide,
I, like Mary, often find myself wondering what you would have done in a situation that comes up. I find myself trying to channel you when trying to get a point of advice to my kids. (They listened when you talked).

But I mostly miss you for your fun self. I can still sometimes hear you laughing.

Heide,
I often fondly remember my times with you. In my everyday life, I regularly wonder how you would handle certain situations I encounter. I always conclude that you would handle any given situation with humor and grace, with the possible exception of times when I find myself whining about something. You never found yourself in those situations because you weren't a complainer. (Unless it was in the form of a complaint letter or phone call to a business that did you wrong, of course. You handled those with great aplomb.)
Richard is taking good care of himself, just as he took care of you. And as we all get older, we try to make sure we all have help when we need it, just as you always were there for us.
I miss you and love you, Heide.

Dearest Heide, 

We all miss your laugh, your wicked, irreverent sense of humor, and your sense of adventure. I have said this before, but I really wish I had been able to spend more time with you.

Meeting Heide in high school was an eye opening experience. She had such a strong and independent personality that being with her made me a little more adventuresome than I might have been. Thank you Heide for all the memories through the years.
Irene

As Dorothea wrote, we all miss you and think of you often. Just yesterday you "appeared" in my memory laughing while holding a glass of wine. Then I re-told the story to Marie about how you kicked a hole in my door, during those teen years when fighting helped us get rid of some frustrations!!! As I was closing the door ( more like slamming the door) you kicked it to keep it open and "bang" you left an impression that lasted until we sold the house!!!! So- about 50 years?? I was amazed that you didn't break your toe. But then you were a tough lady in disguise. I miss your calls while I was sitting in my hot tub and you in yours. It was a good thing that calling became so easy, that long conversations where possible no matter where we were!! Quite amazing actually. Who knows what the future will bring. Maybe one day we will converse while in the universe. Wolfgang und Marie

Heide, if you are out there, hear me. You would probably be pissed that one has to enter a password to leave you a tribute, so that probably discourages 95% of people who don’t know their password. Damn! Anyway, we all love and miss you. I recently had a dream in which you appeared—ta da!—enigmatically. I was trying to rush you to get out of a place. You were sitting and chatting with Cece or someone. I said, “Let’s go!” You said with your half-smile, “In a bit.” For some reason we had rented bikes, and etc. You know the dream.

I miss our Friday evening phone chats. Lots of laughing and catching up. I wish I had spent more time with her. Such a generous personality.

I miss my sister a lot. Love and cherish all your friends and family in this world as long as you have them. Peace and health to all.

Another birthday Dear. Have a happy one, wherever you may be. As Sue Ann points out, your not missing much in these crazy times, but your grit and humor would have helped you get through it all. And you would have helped a bunch of us do the same.
Some things haven't changed. We all still love you and miss you.

I still think about you daily. You are missing out on Covid and horrible political banter so you may actually be in a better place.I miss your humor and advice. You are still loved. ❤️

Well dear, just went down to Jack's celebration of life, visited Val, Dwight, William, Greg and Al and Linda. It was really nice seeing them all for first time in quite a while. Jack's event was beautiful.
On the way back I took a few hikes in the Sierras. I left a bit of you in a few nice locations. I hope you are content with that.
Oh, and I sold your house to people that I hope can keep your yard up better than I was doing. I kept one of your prize Dahlias though which so far seems to be doing well. We all still miss you terribly dear.

My wonderful sister has now been gone for two years, and still we  miss her greatly. Her morning calls to me when we were both in our hot tubs, she in Oregon and me in NJ.- 9 o'clock for me and 6A:M for her. We always found something to talk and laugh about.

In social gatherings  Marie and Richard would look at each other with a look of  "what is funny?". Ok so the wine helped a bit!!! But Heide and I understood each other and had that German humor, which many people didn't know existed. It worked for us and we entertained each other. We think of her often. She was considerate to all, projected a strong personality and thus made things happen. Her energy even late in her life was amazing. I don't have it but simply thinking of her strength in those final days encourages me. Great role model Heide!!

I’ve been thinking about Heide all day on her birthday. I miss her and wish she could still be with us. Looking at the pictures on this website, and the ones I have of her in photos gives me lots of joy. Hoping that all of you remembering Heide are doing well.

We will never forget you Heide,
so many good memories.
Barbara

Heide was like a sister to me, Do. Like you, I miss her terribly and think of her often. All we can do now is, as you say, raise a glass to her, laugh a little and have fun. I have many fond memories of times with her.
I will honor her memory by trying to whine less and instead follow her example. "Life can be so sweet on the sunny side of the street."

You slipped away into the nothingness a year ago today. There was no more medical miracle to be had. We all miss you. If there were an afterlife, I think you’d be shouting down to us: “Hey, have a glass a of wine for me, laugh with a friend, and have some fun! But damn, remember me.” We do.

I miss Heide; everything about her. I could always call her and just chat and laugh and we’d make jokes about our family. It was always just so easy being with her. She was a great sister.

Ich würde dir heute Kuchen bringen, wenn ich könnte. Jeden Tag denke ich an dich und wie du das Leben geliebt hast. Ich vermisse dich mein Freund.

Dear Heide
Your spirit and your zest for life lives on in the memory of your friends.
Love, Walter and Irene

Dear Heidi,
Neil and I will always miss you and your joyful outlook on life. You were just naturally a fun person to be around. A bright light left us when we said goodby to you.

We had a fine party for you dear Heide. A lot of people came, ate, drank, and some told stories about you, saying mostly nice things. You would have loved it. Hope you felt some ripples of love in the cosmos.

Liebe Heide,
Ich schreibe diese email von Deutschland - unser Heimatland. Wir denken auf dich und vermissen dich Jeden Tag.
Der Ralf hat uns Bilder geschickt, von Papa und die erste Frau und Willi und Marianne , wo sie noch jung waren! Es ist schade das wir noch nie diese Bilder gesehen haben. Es ist doch egal dass ich dass auf Deutsch oder Englisch schreibe. Dieses ist fuer dich.
Dear Heide, 
I am writing this von Deutschland - our homeland, and we think of you and miss you everyday.
As we are hiking in the Alps we reflect on the good memories we have of you and Richard hiking with us. Of Richard drinking water even though the sign said "Kein Trinkwasser" i.e. Do not drink this water. In Italy where we had the best "Linzer Tort" since our childhood days. Going swimming in the Heidelberg "Schwimbad" , when we were kids, where I almost drowned because a kid pushed me into the deep section of the pool. You tried to save me, but hell you couldn't swim either. Of course no lifeguards were present to pull us out of the water. That's the way it was, and is still today.
Going swimming in the Neckar River, where we changed into our bathing suits, out in the open at the edge of the river, just like the other Germans! No shame because "that's the way it was done"!!
When we heard the cry " die Zigeuner sind hier" (the gypsies are here), and everybody in the apartment building double locked their doors. Where our "mutti" had her fortune told, that we will move to America, which we eventually did!!!!!!!
Ralf sent us some pictures of our father with his first wife and Willi our half brother (who was lucky to escape from East Germany) and Marianne , our half sister , who we met only once because she was "trapped" in East Germany.
We are not physically at your memorial service, but we will be with you in thought.
Rest In Peace, Wolfgang und Marie

Well Heide, we are all getting together this Sunday to remember you, and talk about you and how much we miss you.
I have not known what to say here so have put it off and put it off. I can hear your voice now telling me, "if you're going to do something, you might as well jump in and do it!" (kind of like the Polar Plunge).
The fact is, you were just too big a presence and influence on me to feel like I can put it into just a few words.
We are going to miss the hell out of you Sunday. You played such a large part in getting us all together over the years. I am sure we will feel your presence and hear your laughter. I can see you smiling now, your eyes sparking with life and mischief. I will always remember you this way. 
Thanks to all for the great photos on this site. Richard, you have some talent as a photographer. I think you really can give up your day job.

Some people are described as "larger than life", and Heide truly was. She had a powerful personality and presence. She was expansive in that she welcomed and included everyone. She made great effort to keep our far-flung family members connected by visiting and throwing parties and generally showing us what is truly important in life.  Heide, from you we learned to seek adventure, travel, read, always learn something new, try to look on the bright side, plant pretty flowers, be silly, laugh a LOT, grab life with both hands, and share the love! You were a great inspiration to us all, and we will carry you in our hearts and smile every time you come to mind. We all loved you so very much.

Heide and Richard are such good sports. We live in an old cabin and Tom made a bed just for her because she was coming to visit us. She and Richard slept in the bed and said it fine. Then my brother-in-law came to visit and he complained the bed was too hard for him. I slept in the bed and boy was it hard. This was just a few months ago and I was telling Cindy this and how hard that must have been for Heide, and Cindy said, Heide told me she loved your place and she was coming back. Heide had so much adventure in her and she’s so tough. Definitely the Queen of the neighborhood. I miss her. You’re tough too, Richard.
Consuelo

It's heading toward yard care season, my dear. I will try to keep your yard up, but it may fall a bit short of your standards. Please be patient. Your yard misses you terribly, and so do I.

It's tax season, dear. I've just added another reason to miss you to the many, many others. My dear sweet tax preparer.

Heide and I talked almost. She would call me while sitting in her hot tub early in the morning Oregon time  which was about 9 AM EST. I talked to Heide on January the 4th, one day before her birthday. She was in good spirits and we had a few laughs that only Heide and I could laugh about. Many times Richard and Marie would look at each other while  Heide and I laughed about an issue. We just had the same sense of "humor". German maybe????
It is difficult for me to acknowledge that she is gone. I had no idea that January the 4th would be the last time I talked with her.
She has left a huge hole in our life.
Others have already posted some comments that Heide was just a good person. She was honest, considerate, caring, determined and full of life. She accepted her illness with strength and vigor. She only slowed down toward the end, but she never complained- she dealt with her issue stoically.
Of course in our youth we had some "disagreements" about "whatever" was "important" in those early years. When we sold out mom's house Heide's "footprint" was still embedded in my bedroom door. She intended to kick me, but I slammed the door just as her foot hit it (and not me). We tried to fix the hole with filler and that darkened patch was still there when we sold the house 50 years after the event!!!

Heide, you will always be here in my heart. I have always admired your amazing accomplishments – teacher, master gardener, world traveler, teller of jokes, perpetual student of first-year Spanish and art history, caller out of bullshit when she sees it. But your matriarch role in keeping friends and family connected has been your finest accomplishment.
We miss you terribly, my dearest Heide. But what a life well lived! Brava! Well done. You have left us all with such wonderful memories.

It is rare in life to have your heart touched by another...
We had such a number of amazing experiences including paddling down rivers, gathering to celebrate special Holidays, pulling weeds in the garden and knowing when to stop for a glass of wine.
The joy of being engrossed in conversations full of laughter, wisdom and integrity.
I had the privilege of sharing a birth date with Heide, making our birthday that much more significant. Of course, as a Capricorn, maybe she had the privilege of sharing the date with me too.
She always reminded us to stay grounded, not over extend ourselves and find humor along with beauty in everything.
We will miss her quick wit and jovial stories of the many mishaps along the bumpy road of life.
Heide will always be in our hearts and will continue to live in our memories as we raise our glasses to a beautiful soul.
Love always - Jon, Shaanette and McKenna

Heide-
We will carry your passion, humor and kindness.
Thank you for loving us.

Heide inspired me with her love of learning, travel, friends and life in general. She and Richard were always warm and welcoming and made a point of keeping friendships active and vibrant. I miss her.

Thank you Heide for sharing your life, family, humor, smarts, and stories with us. I will forever appreciate you and Richard for letting me into your lives. You made things better and continue to do so because all the work of your life had a lasting impact. There is not a day that will go by that won't include some part of you.

I will always remember Heide for her hospitality, her generosity, her love of food (and wine), her excellent cooking, her ukulele playing, singing, and love of music, her curiosity, her kindness. She was smart, tough, and fearless. Heide was a caring and fun person and a good friend. She loved it when i called her “My Queen”, and that she was.
Tom Kammerer

Heide was such a wonderful woman, funny, smart and so very kind. Always had good times whenever she was around. She will be deeply missed.

Richard, you and Heide were inseparable. She was a force of nature and possessed of more innate courage than anyone I ever knew. What a loss. You guys were also the glue in our extended family, which, of course, includes many friends as well. I'll always love the wise and frank Heidemarie. 
Al Jr

I know Heide would not particularly appreciate this music. (Sorry dear). I am working on how to add some more suitable background music. Alas.

I have known Heide and Richard (sounds like one word to me) for well over 50 years. We have shared all the important moments of our lives together.
Heide was the most honest person I've known (no need to guess what she was thinking). That honesty was matched by her interest and caring for the people she loved and who loved her. I will miss Heide a great deal but I will continue to share those important moments with her.

Our lives were intertwined through high school, college and dating our future spouses. Marrying best friends we established life long relationships. Heide became god mother to our first child and she and Richard were a fixture in the lives of our family. We were separated by distance but never disconnected.
I will miss her unique personality and generous heart. Rest in peace dear, old friend.

I will miss you and will try to help Richard through his incredible loss.

Heide & Rich are special friends. Since we moved to Sequim, WA. in 2010, they have visited the most of all our family and friends. We always enjoyed many laughs and much wine. Heide was to be admired for her ability to rise above and simply enjoy life. Her wisdom, wit and caring will never be forgotten.   Sharlene & Ed Busch

We will always remember all the vacations and outings we had with Richard and Heide. Each one was an adventure. She was always fun to be with and had an attitude toward life that we admired. We will especially miss her sense of humor and her smile.

Heide, I still have the picture of you and I in your silver Honda convertible up on my wall. I titled it "Girls Just Want To Have Fun". And fun we did! Every time I'm driving our Honda Del Sol convertible I'll be thinking of you driving yours around in Heaven, singing that song. Such fond memories - you are missed Dear Lady! Love, Jacque

Hiede and Richard have always welcomed Larry and I with their annual McSwain family reunion. Hiede had a lust for life, a good story and adventure. I loved listening to her talk but mostly laugh! It was contagious! She will be sorely missed. Rest In Peace dear lady and Richard, tons of hugs to you!

Heide fought an unbelievable battle with tremendous courage.May she rest in peace

We will miss Heide so much. There was always a smile and a brilliant quip from her that made you laugh and smile. Neil will never forget the kind friendship extended to him by both of you. It was always a fun time when she stopped in for a visit at our house here in Lake Oswego.. You are missed by everyone you touched.

I miss hearing Heide talk to her sister at
5 or 6 in the morning while she was in the hot tub.

I miss my older sister so much. I miss the Friday evening telephone gab sessions, which included lots of self-mocking hilarity. I miss the funny stories we’d tell each other, and hearing about trips and family and projects. I miss seeing Richard and Heide together. I wish Heide could have had many more years enjoying herself in this world. But she will always be alive in my memory.

And your garden and flowers also miss you and need you.

Your gone, and I am realizing on a daily basis how much of a hole that leaves in my life. I will try to focus on the wonderful life we had together, sweet memories. I love you dear.