Barbara Ann Heimer

Barbara Ann Heimer, 85, of Sheffield, Iowa, died peacefully at the Sheffield Care Center on Saturday, February 21, 2026. A visitation will be held 4:00–6:30 PM, Friday, February 27, 2026, at Sacred Heart Church in Rockwell, Iowa. Funeral arrangements are under the guidance of the Sietsema-Atkinson Funeral Home in Hampton.

A devoted wife and mother and grandmother, Barb remained strong for her family before accepting the rest she so richly deserved and a heavenly reunion with her husband, Richard.

Barb was raised as a fun-loving city girl who grew to love life in a small rural community. She was born on July 12, 1940, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the first of five girls born to her parents Agnes and Vernon White. Vernon was a highly respected Milwaukee motorcycle police officer who tragically died in an on-duty accident when Barb was only eleven years old, leaving her mother and Barb to look after her four younger sisters. Resilience and love of family became hallmarks of Barb’s life.

While in college in Dubuque, Richard “Dick” Heimer worked summers in Milwaukee, and left that city with more than just tuition money; he met the love of his life there. Barb and Dick were married on June 9, 1962, and spent the next 59 years together.

Dick convinced Barb to move to small town Iowa, relocating to Sheffield in the summer of 1965. She raised five children with a contradictory combination of strictness and laissez-faire. For example, on a typical summer day, Barb would force all five children outside and lock the doors, leaving her children to fend for themselves while she cleaned the house, and expected them back home at 5:30 for supper, all seated at the dinner table together. She was a great cook and her children loved her meals.

Barb embraced life in a small town. She bowled, played cards, laid tile, attended church, worked at the pharmacy, gossiped, hosted Frozen Tundra parties, and helped run Camp Ernie for many summers. She especially loved watching her children and grandchildren play sports. Barb was a big fan of Wisconsin pro sports teams, especially the world’s greatest professional sports organization, the Green Bay Packers. She was an avid Iowa Hawkeyes fan. She and Dick attended hundreds of athletic contests played by the Spartans, the Norse, the Hawkeyes, the Packers, the Brewers, and the Warhawks. She was devoted to her fourteen grandchildren and very proud of them. Being “Grandma” was one of her greatest joys.

Barb was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, aunt, cousin. Barb was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Dick, and her sister Joanie (Tom) Herden. She is survived by her five children and fourteen grandchildren: Peter (Yuki) Heimer of Sheffield (children Taizo, Niki, Ren); Peg (Hans) Soukup of Eau Claire, Wisconsin (son Carson); Jeanne (Tony) Thompson of Iowa City (children Isaac, Harris, Stella, Rex); David (Jodi) Heimer of Highlands Ranch, Colorado (children Luke, Ella); and Joseph Heimer of Ankeny, Iowa (children Christian, Ben, Alex, Lauren).

Barb will be missed by her three surviving sisters: Beverly (Jim) Jones, Lake Carroll, Illinois; Kathy (Jerry) Atkinson, Des Moines, Iowa; Geri (Roger) Pagenkopf, Waukesha, Wisconsin – and many nieces and nephews.

The extended Heimer family would like to offer sincere thanks to the many people who showed such caring support for Barb these past few years, including local friends, the staff at MercyOne Sheffield, home helpers from Franklin County Home Care, the chief hair stylist at Cutting Corner, and the staff at the Sheffield Care Center, many of whom are friends of the family and all of whom provided excellent, personal care. Thank you. We feel blessed.