Wayne County Press
Thursday, November 16, 1967
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The end came Thursday morning (today) for one of Fairfield's best known and respected citizens.

She was Mrs. Frank Heidinger, 94, who expired at Fairfield Memorial Hospital at 6:25 a.m. bringing to a close a prolonged period of declining health.  For the past ten years she had been without her eyesight.

On August 10th Mrs. Heidinger fell at her home on South First Street breaking her hip.  She has been hospitalized ever since.

Her last appearance in public was on Sunday, January 15, when she paid a brief visit to the Open House  for Fairfield's new city hall which was dedicated to her husband, the late Frank Heidinger, former Fairfield mayor.  Mrs. Heidinger made a $10,000 gift to the city hall fund.

The remains were moved to Nale's Funeral Home.  Final rites will be held Saturday at Nale's Chapel with Rev. Robert Krause officiating.  Burial will follow at Maple Hill.  The funeral hour was not set at press hour.

Only survivors are two nephews, Ross and Willard Heidinger, of Fairfield; and two cousins, Mrs. Lee Grice and Miss Eva Creighton.

Following is a biographical sketch Mrs. Heidinger provided the Press seven years ago for use at the time of her death.

One of Fairfield's most distinguished residents, Mary Creighton-Heidinger, passed away November 16th, 1967.  She was prominent in civic, church and charitable works, and to the day of her death took a keen and lively interest in the worthwhile activities of the city.

The daughter of Rev. Charles E. Creighton and Emma McNeely Creighton, she was born in a Methodist parsonage.  (December 10th, 1872.)

She grew to womanhood in Wayne County near Fairfield, attending the public schools and later was graduated from Hayward College.  She taught for several years in our city schools, and yearly until her death she received letters, messages and personal visits from students of fifty or more years ago, some of whom she had not seen since their days in her classroom, but whose memories of her inspiration remained vivid throughout the years.

On July 18, 1900, she became the wife of Frank Heidinger, a business man, of Fairfield.  He preceded her in death in 1956.

In Mrs. Heidinger's youth she was converted and united with the Methodist Church in whose service she was to pour out her efforts unstintingly for more than fifty years.

Blessed with unusual administrative ability Mrs. Heidinger served for more than thirty years as President of the Foreign Missionary Society, and more than fifty years as a teacher in the church school. One of her dreams was realized when the present edifice was finally erected in 1924.

She was over a long period of time active as a steward, and as chairman of the Committee on Membership and Evangelism.  In the forefront of her interests was the Bible Study Club, of which she has been a member since 1902, the longest period of membership held to date in that organization.

It was her keen desire to live to see the building of the Fairfield Public Library, having been one of the committee which originally proposed its erection, and one of the board of trustees for many years.

Mrs. Heidinger was also a guiding spirit in the formation of the Wayne County Historical Society, and a member of that board.  She also belonged to the Daughters of the American Revolution, to which she was entitled through her maternal great-grandfather.

She inherited an ardent interest in poetry and was the author of numerous poems which appeared in anthologies as well as in metropolitan newspapers.