Obituaries : Howard C. Heaton

Howard C. Heaton, 96, of Perry died August 19, 2021, at the Eden Acres campus of the Perry Lutheran Homes in Perry, Iowa

Howard retired as a foreman from the Oscar Mayer pork processing plant after serving several years. He previously sold farm equipment to farmers throughout western Iowa and was a farmer for 13 years.

Howard was born in Elberon, Iowa, on November 23, 1924.

He was a native Iowan and served in World War II with the 194th Glider Infantry. He completed basic training at Fort Blanking, Florida, and Fort Benning, Georgia. Heaton flew behind enemy lines after D-Day and fought at the Battle of the Bulge. He helped take the Gestapo headquarters in Hamburg and ended his service in Berlin after Hitler died in January 1946.

Howard marched down Broadway at the end of the war and ended his service with two Overseas Service Bars, European African Middle Eastern Theater Ribbon with three Bronze Battle Stars, and Bronze Arrowhead, a Good Conduct Medal, and World War II Victory Medal.

A graduate of Vinton High School, Howard married Darlene Marie Wilson of Vinton in May
1944.

Active in the church throughout his life, he was a member of the United Methodist Church in Perry.

Howard is preceded in death by his father, Donald; and his mother, Faye; and two infant sons.

He is survived by his wife, Darlene Heaton of Eden Acres in Perry; his sister, Phyllis Davis of Vinton; his son, Gary Howard Heaton of Havelock, N.C.; his daughter, Marcia Marie Uhlman of Arlington, Texas: four grandchildren, Margeaux Ljungberg of Juneau, Alaska, Meredith Bruhn of Havelock, N.C., Andrew Heaton of Havelock, N.C., and Luke Uhlman of Arlington, Texas; six great-grandchildren; Sisters in Law Dona Dales of Cedar Rapids and Susie Hansen of Vinton, and numerous nieces and nephews.

Private services are at 11 a.m. Tuesday, August 24 at the Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Van Meter, south off U.S. Interstate 80 at the 113 Exit. A memorial service is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. August 24 at First United Methodist Church at 1100 Third St., Perry, Iowa 50220. Kindly RSVP to Marilyn at 515-465-3162.

Memorials should be directed to St Croix Hospice via Toni Hammond at thammond@stcroixhospice.com or Kyle Valois at kvalois@stcroixhospice.c