Donald “Don” Heiman

Donald “Don” Ray Heiman, 81, of Groves, died Monday, January 20, 2020, at The Medical Center of Southeast Texas, Port Arthur. He was born on September 3, 1938, in Weimer, to Mary Ida Schaefer Heiman and Joe Phillip Heiman.

Don graduated from Patti Welder High School in Victoria, Texas in 1956 and joined the US Air Force shortly thereafter. After the Air Force, he moved his young family to Nederland and spent the rest of his life in the Golden Triangle. Don worked at DuPont for a short time before joining IBM where he worked until his retirement in 1993 after twenty-eight years of service. Once he retired from IBM, Don filled his time operating Kitchen Medic where he was able to help people in the Port Arthur area as a wealth of knowledge for everything from A/C repair to appliances for residential as well as commercial customers. He was a real jack of all trades.

Blessed with an aptitude and love of all things mechanical, Don could fix anything he touched and build anything he dreamed. He had a passion for fishing, motorcycles, and restoring automobiles. Don shared his gift with his family, teaching them about the things he loved.

Don enjoyed spending time with the people he cared about. He was a kind man with a big heart and loved to tell stories and reminisce about the old days. Don was a dog lover and always had at least one pup close by. He will be sorely missed by his family, friends and pets.

Survivors include his wife of 35 years, Nancy Heiman, of Groves; children, Cyndy Gubbs and her husband, Rick, of Houston; Sharon Salicos and her husband, Tony, of San Antonio; and Chad Heiman and his wife, Louise, of Chehalis, Washington; stepchildren, Robin LeBlanc and her husband, Michael, of Port Neches; Heidi Ward and her husband, Jimmy, of Groves; and Jeremy Walker and his wife, Sarah, of Port Arthur; eleven grandchildren; and thirteen great-grandchildren.

He is preceded in death by his parents and infant son, Michael Wayne Heiman.

A gathering of Don’s family and friends will be from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m., Thursday, January 23, 2020, at Broussard’s, 505 North 12th Street, Nederland. His funeral service will be 11:00 a.m., Friday, January 24, 2020, at Broussard’s, Nederland, with his interment to follow at Oak Bluff Memorial Park, Port Neches.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Patriot PAWS, 254 Ranch Trail, Rockwall, Texas 75032, https://patriotpaws.org.