Virginia Heine

Virginia "Ginny" Heine, 90, died Sunday, March 3, 2019, at Mercy Hospital South in St. Louis. She passed peacefully, surrounded by her family, from old age and a brief struggle with respiratory failure. For 58 years she was the wife of Delbert "Buddy" Heine who died in 2010 at the age of 87. Ginny always said her greatest legacy would be her six children: Ed, Beth (Pete Genovese), Joe (Debbie Martin), Tom (Kathy), Bill (Marsha) and Phil (Barb). She was a doting grandmother to eleven grandchildren (Colleen, Kevin, Bridget, Darcy, Stella, Karl, Erik, Caitlin, Will, Luke and Mark) and three great grandchildren (Riley, Norah and Emma). She was a loving sister to her older brother, Frank Nizick, and younger sister, Rosemarie Piskulic (died 2004). She was born Virginia Nizick May 1, 1928, in south St. Louis to a Croatian immigrant, Zora Franic, and an absentee father. Ginny enjoyed telling how she was born prematurely at home, delivered by a doctor who was drunk at the time. The doctor congratulated Ginny's mother on the "new baby boy." It wasn't until the next day that a visiting nurse informed Zora that the baby was actually a girl. Ginny grew up in poverty during the Great Depression with her single mother, brother and sister. She recalls working at a concession stand at the St. Louis Zoo, and graduated from Cleveland High School in 1946. After graduation she was an office worker at Butler Brothers. Throughout her life she loved to dance. She would often go with her sister to St. Joseph's Croation Catholic Church to dance to traditional folk music. In the early 1950s Ginny attended a dance at the Casa Loma Ballroom where she met her future husband, Delbert. He was a handsome World War II army veteran, who had served in the Pacific Ocean theater, then working as an electrician. They were married in 1951 in St. George Catholic Church and bought their first home in the St. Louis suburb of Affton. Ginny was the homemaker, Del was the breadwinner, and the family quickly grew, filling the Affton home with love and frenetic activity. Her children have fond memories of her singing cheerful show tunes while she did her household chores. In 1971, at Ginny's insistence, the family relocated to a larger home in Concord Village, where they joined Assumption Parish. She worked part time in sales at Berger Furniture on Gravois Road and Dau Furniture on Watson Road. At the new home with its spacious lot, she developed a passion for gardening and yard work, which continued until she became weak with age just a few years ago. She remained in that home until moving in with her eldest son, Ed, six months ago. Ginny and Del learned the value of thrift from a young age, but proudly funded all of their children's college educations. Ginny will be sorely missed by her family, relatives and friends. Services: Visitation will be 2-6 p.m., Sunday, March 10, at John L. Ziegenhein & Sons, 7027 Gravois, St. Louis, MO, 63116. Funeral services will begin 10:15 a.m., Monday, March 11, at Ziegenhein & Sons, and then move to Assumption Catholic Church for 11 a.m. Mass. Interment will be at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, with a luncheon to follow. In lieu of flowers please send donations to Assumption (Mattese) Parish. Sunday March 10, 2019
02:00 pm - 06:00 pm
John L. Ziegenhein & Sons Funeral Homes
7027 Gravois Avenue St. Louis, Missouri 63116
Monday March 11, 2019
11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Assumption Catholic Church
4725 Mattis Road St. Louis, Missouri 63128