Obituary of Eldon L. Heidt

Eldon L. Heidt of Lewiston NY, passed away on Friday, February 20, 2015, at the age of 76 at Elderwood at Wheatfield after a lengthy battle with Multiple Sclerosis. Eldon was born June 26, 1938 in Silver Creek, NY, the son of the late W. Edward and Ruth (Mulkins) Heidt. He is survived by his beloved wife of 49 years, Patty J. (Fox) Heidt; He is the devoted father of Vonda (Michael) Merrell of Niagara Falls, NYand twin sons, Mark (Kirsi) of Finland and Scott (Melissa) Heidt of Youngstown. Grandfather of Lindsay Merrell and Hans, Emma, Klaus, and Hanna Heidt in Finlad, Madeline Heidt, Kayla (Dan) Montante and great grandson, Cameron Panepinto. Also survived by a sister, Sharon (John) Wendel and several nieces and nephews. Predeceased by a sister, Sheila (twin of Sharon). While in school he worked on the family grape farm and had several beef cattle as a 4-H Club project. He enjoyed flying (private license) in his younger days and vacationing at the family lake cottage in Canada. Other hobbies included bowling, gardening, fishing, watching sports on TV and following the stock market. He graduated from Forestville Central (’55), Cornell University (’59) and University of Minnesota ('64) with a Master’s Degree in Accounting. He served on active duty in the U.S. Air Force from 1959 -1962 as a Supply Officer in The Air Defense Command. He was stationed at a radar site in Northern Minnesota, Goose Bay, Labrador and St. Anthony, Newfoundland. On October 23, 1965, Eldon and, the love of his life, Patty Fox were married in Silver Creek. He was employed by PPG Industries from 1964-1986. The family lived in Corpus Christi, TX, Lake Charles, LA, Zanesville, OH and Pittsburgh, PA. In 1986 Eldon became Controller at Chemical Waste Management, Model City and subsequently joined SKW Metals and Alloys until his disability retirement in 1997 with multiple sclerosis. For many years he went to the Wellness Center at DeGraff Hospital in North Tonawanda for physical therapy. He attended St. James United Methodist Church. Friends are welcome to call at HARDISON FUNERAL HOME, N. Fourth & Ridge Streets, Lewiston on Monday from 4 – 7pm. Funeral Services followed by Military Honors will be held on Tuesday, February 24, at 11:00 am in the funeral home. Entombment at Riverdale Cemetery, Lewiston will be private. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. James United Methodist Church, 4661 Porter Rd. Niagara Falls, NY 14305 or the National MS Society, Upstate NY Chapter, 1651 S. Avenue, Suite 100, Rochester, NY 14620.