Amy J. Heiden

Amy J. Heiden age 49, of Elkton passed away Wednesday, January 1st at her home in Elkton after a long illness.
She was born Nov. 16, 1953, in Kingsport, Tenn., to Dorothy (Greene) Gwaldis and the late James P. Gwaldis and was raised in the small town of Big Stone Gap, Va., deep in the mountains of southwest Virginia.
She graduated from Powell Valley High School in Big Stone Gap in 1972 and attended Mountain Empire Community College. She also attended Delta College after moving to Michigan.
In November 1976, she joined the U.S. Army, and after training served as a motor transport operator with the 1st Supply and Transport Battalion, 1st Infantry Division at Ft. Riley, Kan. There she met James Heiden of Elkton, who also was a truck driver and assistant platoon sergeant for the 1st S & T Battalion. They were married on March 25, 1978 in Normandy Chapel on Custer Hill at Ft. Riley.
After her Army service ended in 1979, she and her husband moved to Elkton. In 1988, she began working for the Progress-Advance newspaper, later The Newsweekly, and was employed there as a reporter/photographer for nine years. She also freelanced stories to the Bay City Times, the American
Kennel Club Gazette and other publications. She later worked for the Huron Daily Tribune as an editorial assistant for 5 years, from 1997 until this year when her health would not permit it.
She was a member of Elkton United Methodist Church, a former member and president of the Elkton Chamber of Commerce and a 22-year member of the Golden Retriever Club of America. She was co-chairman of the 1997 Elkton Centennial and 1998 Elkton Autumn Fest and played a major role in organizing the festivals. She also played a major part in the production of the Elkton and Caseville Centennial family history books, typing and editing family stories.
Her favorite activities were working in her flower gardens, reading and surfing the Internet. She also enjoyed listening to a wide variety of music. Amy enjoyed visiting with family and friends.
She is survived by her husband, James; a son, Christopher of Spring Arbor; a sister, Norma Maxvill and her husband, Tom, of St. Clair Shores; a brother, James P. (Jay) Gwaldis, Jr., and his wife, Michele Leslie, of Falls Church, Va.; her mother, Dorothy Gwaldis of Pigeon; brothers-in-law Timothy Heiden and his
wife, Barb, Kenneth Heiden and his wife, Valerie, and Carl Heiden and his wife, Kimberly, all of Elkton, and John Roth of Jacksonville, N.C.; a sister-in-law, Diana Heiden of Kinde; her father-in-law, Carl W. Heiden and his wife, Sharon, of Elkton; and several cousins, nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her father, James P. Gwaldis; and her mother-in-law, Audrey Roth of Brown City.
Funeral services will be conducted at 1:00 PM, Saturday, January 4th at the Elkton United Methodist Church. Rev. Pete Crawford will officiate with burial in Riverside Cemetery, Elkton.
Friends may call Friday from 2 until 9 PM at Champagne Funeral Chapel in Elkton and at the church after 12:00 noon Saturday.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Oliver Township Fire Department or Huron Memorial Hospice. Memorials may be sent to the family or mailed to the funeral home at 5495 Pigeon Rd., Elkton,MI 48731