Margaret Carolyn Heim
Margaret Carolyn Heim, 93, of Cape Coral passed away Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2010. She was born on Sept. 1, 1916, to Mary Helen Clapsaddle and Edgar Bowman Taylor in Alliance, Ohio.
She attended Alliance High School and Mount Union College. She married John Wesley Heim in 1936, and moved to North Royalton, Ohio. In this, once rural suburb of Cleveland, they raised five daughters as well as provided a second home for international students and others. They raised farm animals, gardened, began a spectrographic company, sailed on Lake Erie and took their family on numerous camping and sightseeing trips around the country. Both Carolyn and John devoted themselves to their church, P.T.A. and community. A very hard worker, Carolyn assisted in many charitable fund-raisers and might be found selling Swiss cheese or corn on the cob at a local homecoming festival, making apple butter, packing boxes for overseas war relief or cooking in the church kitchen for a large crowd. With this bountiful compassion for others, she regularly assisted the needy at a Cleveland inner city mission.
The couple retired to Cape Coral in 1978 where they continued their service to others. She and her husband participated in Habitat for Humanity and other local mission projects. She became a president of the original Cape Coral Garden Club, and was a member of the Cape Coral Historical Society where she tirelessly dedicated her time and effort to the rose garden and museum. Carolyn donated many hours of work at media centers at both Franklin Park and Fort Myers Beach elementary schools. She volunteered as a “pink lady” at Cape Coral Hospital for more than 25 years and was a member and officer of the United Methodist Women for more than 70 years. She was very active in the Asbury Sunday school class, the mission committee, sewing group, Bible study groups and the book group at her church. She was a member of Eastern Star for over 70 years.
Mrs. Heim was a lifelong learner and traveler and encouraged her family to do the same. She had visited virtually every state in the U. S. as well as most of the European countries, China and Brazil. Her varied interests included missions, sewing for charities, traveling, learning and current events. She was an avid reader.
She is predeceased by her parents; beloved husband; sister, Helen Marie; and her brother, Roy.
Her survivors are her five daughters, Mary Elizabeth (Joseph) Harper of Fort Myers, Carolyn Suzanna (Richard) Quackenbush of Fullerton, Calif., Nancy Kathryn (Robert) Squyres of Dallas, Texas, Margaret Rosa (Roy) Rodriguez of Cape Coral and Cynthia Lee (Philip) Henninge of Cape Coral; seven grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
A visitation will be held Saturday, Jan. 9, from noon to 2 p.m. with a service to begin at 2 p.m. at the Metz Funeral Chapel, 1306 Lafayette St., Cape Coral.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Cape Coral First United Methodist Church or a charity of choice.
Condolences may be viewed and offered at www.metzfuneralhome.com