CONNIE’S JOURNEY ended peacefully this morning, April 19, 2026 at around 1:30 a.m. I had a feeling yesterday evening so stayed at the memory care unit in the recliner next to her bed. One minute she was breathing and then she was not. So glad I was with her at the end. Thanks to all of you who have come on this journey with us.
Constance R. (Connie) Heiland, 78, passed away on April 20, 2026 in West Chester, PA following a three-year decline from frontal temporal dementia.
She was born July 3, 1947 in Waynesville, MO, the daughter of Raymond E. Pickett and Betty Pickett Laughman. She was preceded in death by her father and her mother survives.
Connie is also survived by her husband, Richard (Rich) Heiland; daughter Andrea Jean Heiland, son-in-law William Marotti; son Seth L. Heiland, daughter-in-law Diane Heiland; grandchildren Ethan Cobb, Jacob Gross, Bennett Marotti and Samantha Heiland; sister Janet Burford; brother Allen Picket and wife Cher; nieces and a nephew. She was preceded in death by her stepfather Porter G. Laughman.
Connie was a graduate of Boardman High School in Youngstown, Ohio and attended Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, where she majored in political science. At Miami she was active in theater and student government. She was a member of Gamma Phi Beta Sorority, which she served as president, and represented the sorority in the Miss Miami Pageant. She was president of the Miami PanHellenic Society and given the “Outstanding Junior Woman” award.
Connie met her husband, Rich, at Miami and they were married on Aug. 10, 1968. Following her marriage she earned a master’s degree in Sociology with an emphasis on gerontology. She worked at Wilmington College, in Wilmington, Ohio, as a faculty member in government and political science. She later attended the University of Dayton Law School and graduated with honors as a member of the first graduating class since the law school was reinstated in 1974 following its closure during World War II.
During her law career she worked in firms in Troy, Ohio, Fort Worth, Texas, Quechee, VT, and most recently at Moak and Moak in Huntsville, TX. She also taught business law at the University of Dallas, University of Arlington, Western Illinois University and taught paralegal studies at Woodbury College in Vermont. She also served as student legal advisor at Sam Houston State University from 1988-1990. She was associate director of planned giving at Gettysburg College and development director at The Vermont Law School.
Connie was active in several communities, serving on various boards and committees including the Town of Hartford (VT) Zoning Commission; The Quechee Lakes Landowners Association (VT); Finance Chair for the Quechee (VT) Hot Air Balloon, Music and Arts Festival.
In Huntsville, TX she was on the board of the Huntsville (TX) Community Theatre; The Huntsville (TX) YMCA; was a member of the Huntsville Downtown Business Association; The Walker County Historical Commission; Friends of the Wynne Home Board in Huntsville; The Huntsville Study Club; the Huntsville Newcomers Club; The Elkins Lake Women’s Golf Association; The Elkins Lake Tennis Association, and was an election judge in Walker County. She also was a member of the Huntsville City’s First Hotel Occupancy Tax Board.
While in Texas she and Rich began volunteering through the Sierra Club in national parks doing trail work, grassland restoration and other projects. Connie worked in Big Bend National Park, Guadalupe National and lasting friendships were formed with what became known as “The Blue Pumpkin” group of volunteers. .
In West Chester, PA, where she moved with her husband in 2021 she was a member of the Chester County History Center and attended the West Chester Friends Meeting (Religious Society of Quakers).
Per her and the family’s wishes there will be no services. If you knew Connie you know she loved people and being with them, so gather where you are, sip a glass of wine and remember the good times. Internment of ashes will be the family plot in Sugar Grove Cemetery in Wilmington, OH at a future date.
Rich Heiland, has been a reporter, editor, publisher/general manager at daily papers in Texas, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio and New Hampshire. He was part of a Pulitzer Prize-winning team at the Xenia Daily (OH) Daily Gazette, a National Newspaper Association Columnist of the Year. Since 1995 he has operated an international consulting, public speaking and training business specializing in customer service, general management, leadership and staff development with major corporations, organizations, and government. He also writes the blog stuffonmymind.blog. Semi-retired, he and his wife live in West Chester, PA. He can be reached at [email protected].
Rich,
Carol and I send you and your family our sincere condolences on your profound loss. I have a great deal of respect for both Connie and you, your courage and class. Thank you for sharing your journey. Blessings to you both!
Al Cleinman
I’m so sorry. I’m so glad you were with her.
Love to her memory and to you . Remembering the great fun, conversations, and food on your visits to Bedspring Ridge in Sutton Community in Nevada Coubty, Arkansas.
Bob and I send our deepest condolences to you and family, Rich. What an extraordinary life! Hugs to you. AVV
How blessed was she that you were with her at the end. My sincere condolences Rich. I have no words. She was a wonderful person and friend and she will always be in my heart, always.
I am so sorry for your loss; actually it is a dark day for all of us who knew her. The world was definitely a brighter place with her in it.
Her bio shows that her life was full of accomplishments—family, career, education. But I can add that she was a stellar friend. She listened. She cared. She showed up. When I mentioned I was interested in learning about Unitarianism, she brought written informational materials to my house. That’s just one example of her thoughtfulness.
Rich, thank you for keeping all of us informed about her life. I will never forget her. Again, the world could use many more folks like Connie Heiland.
I’m sending my heart to all of you. We have all been blessed to be a part of her generous life. I’m remembering all the fun we had, the talks we had, and the pots we stirred, making trouble for politics. There will never be another Connie, whose heart was as big as the whole sky. Thank you, Connie. I love you.
My sincerest condolences to you and the family in Connie’s passing. So glad you were there with her. What a special lady! Her legacy will continue through the many groups and people she loving gave her time and attention to. Connie will be missed by many. 🙏🏻✝️🕊️
Rich, sending you love and the hope that memories of your decades of a beautiful shared life together, along with seeing Connie alive in your children and grandchildren, will soften the profound grief you are feeling now. You took the best care of her when she needed you the most, so you can sleep well knowing that she knew you were there for her, even at her very last breath. That was a priceless gift you gave her. xoxoxo
Rich. I have sincerely enjoyed getting a glimpse into your love story with Connie through your thoughtfully written words. I’m sorry for your loss and I will remember your devotion and love for your wife and friend.
Prayers lifted for you and the kids and grandchildren. We were blessed to have Connie work with us here in Huntsville. She was an energetic and positive influence in all that she did, work or volunteering. Miss her sweet soul.
I’m so sorry for your loss. The other side of the loss is that she does not have to endure the debilitating effect the disease had on her quality of life. I loved having her in my arobic classes. She will truly be missed.
Rich,
I have followed your sad journey. I am sending you and your family sincere condolences and prayers in this difficult time.
Sincerely, Carol
Connie is now in Heaven with a new body and mind.
I like to think about Connie on her daily and somewhat challenging walks to and from the post office here in Elkins Lake. One day it started raining as she passed our house so she joined us on the porch with a glass of wine. Good bye to a very smart and funny friend and sincere sympathy to those she loved.
Thank you, Rich, for sharing the long joy and late sorrow of your shared life. If our mission on Earth is to experience the “four L’s” – to Live, Love, Learn, and Leave a Legacy, Connie surely did all those, and the world is a better place for her having done so.
Rich,
I am so sorry for your loss. Connie was a wonderful woman and I know she was your best friend. I am glad you were with her when she passed.
Meeting you and Connie were bright spots in my brief time in Huntsville. I’m sorry she’s gone and glad she’s not suffering anymore. Sending gentleness.