Grace Elizabeth (Risser) Heilman 2/24/1929 – 1/6/2024
Grace Elizabeth (Risser) Heilman, 94, of Pittsboro, NC, passed away Saturday, January 6, 2024. Grace was born on February 24, 1929, in Harrisburg, PA to the late Edgar Walter Risser Jr. and the late Bertha Lucinda (Anderson) Risser.
Grace graduated with the William Penn High School Harrisburg class of 1947, where she played soccer. After high school, she went to The Comptometer School of Harrisburg and then went to work for the State of PA, then AMP Incorporated, and eventually went back to the State of PA in the Treasurer’s Office. She retired around 1990 after 25 years of service to the State. Grace enjoyed camping with her family, tailgating and attending Penn State football games, was a lifelong league bowler and competed nationally, and she participated in the Chatham County Senior Games. She was a Member of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Enola, PA.
Grace was predeceased by her loving husband of 52 years, Thomas Newton Heilman of Pittsboro, NC, and her sister, Bertha Leona (Risser) Davis, of PA. She is survived by her daughter, Brenda (Heilman) Tillman and her late husband Greg, of Vass, NC; a son, Thomas Newton Heilman II and his late wife Karen, of Pittsboro, NC; granddaughters, Becca and Sara Heilman, Andrea (Tillman) Baker and her husband Dustin; grandsons, Alex Tillman and his wife Amie, and Jeremy Tillman, and granddaughter-in-law Deanne Galvin; and five great- grandchildren, Mayes and Reese Baker, Gabrielle Hale and Henri Tillman, and Everett Tillman. There will be a private family gathering at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Rotary Club of Pittsboro (memo: Karen S. Heilman Scholarship), PO Box 1179, Pittsboro, NC 27312, or Liberty HomeCare & Hospice Services, 1005 Carthage St, Sanford, NC 27330.
Donaldson Funeral Home & Crematory is honored to serve the Heilman family. www.DonaldsonFunerals.com
