Mary Heidel

Mary Ellen Heidel, age 68, passed away on April 29, 2020, at her home in Sedgewickville, Missouri, of natural causes. A longtime resident of Simi Valley, California, Mrs. Heidel moved to Missouri in 2018 to pursue her lifelong dream of running a small farm, where she successfully saw her passion come to fruition before passing. A devout Catholic, she remains always in the care of God’s tender perfection and almighty strength.
Mrs. Heidel was born Mary Ellen Kimberling on December 10, 1951, in Cleveland, Ohio. She moved with her family to Redondo Beach, California in 1958, and subsequently to Simi Valley in 1963. She graduated from Royal High School in Simi Valley.
Mary was married to the late Tim Allen Heidel in 1967, remaining his steadfast and beloved companion until his death in 2006. Mr. and Mrs. Heidel had one daughter, Heidi Ida Higgins, of Simi Valley, California, and Mrs. Heidel enjoyed her three precious grandchildren, Tim, David, and Charlotte, all of whom deeply love their “Gram.”
Mrs. Heidel was preceded in death by her parents, Foster L. Kimberling and Mary Elouise Kimberling Ford, and by her younger brother, Michael Edward Kimberling. She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Curtis & Heidi Higgins, three grandchildren, and brothers C. Ronald Kimberling of South Elgin, Illinois, and William D. Kimberling of York, England. She is also survived by six nephews, four nieces, and many grand-nephews and nieces.
An employee of AT&T/Pacific Bell for more than 30 years, and Countrywide Financial for five years, Mrs. Heidel enjoyed retirement as a leading figure in the world of Purebred Show Cats. She traveled internationally to pursue this vocation, achieving the highest of honors with the Cat Fanciers’ Association ‘Shorthair Cat of The Year,’ in 2008; another of her champion cats was featured on the cover of Cat Fanciers magazine.
A patron of La Reina High School, an all-girls private, Catholic college preparatory school in Thousand Oaks, California, Mary and her daughter, a La Reina Alumna, established The Heidel Family Scholarship in 2011; Mrs. Heidel and Mrs. Higgins have faithfully endowed and subsequently award this annual scholarship, which is presented to a student who demonstrates a unique ability to excel both academically and in extracurricular school activities.
The graveside service for Mary Heidel will be held on Thursday, June 4, 2020 at 11:00 a.m. PST, at Assumption Catholic Cemetery in Simi Valley, California, where she will be laid to rest next to the love of her life, her husband Tim.
Services are being coordinated by Reardon Simi Valley Funeral Home, 2636 Sycamore Drive, Simi Valley, CA 93065.
Mrs. Heidel loved flowers of all varieties and colors, and floral arrangements are deeply appreciated by the family as a celebration of Mary’s life and in remembrance of the many lives she touched on earth.