Heidi Steitz

Heidi Ann (Walton) Steitz, 60, of Powell passed away peacefully at home on March 4th surrounded by her family after a courageous 17-year battle with breast cancer. From the very beginning of the fight, she was determined to raise her children to adulthood. Her daughter Mackenzie is now 20 and her son Ben turned 18 only three days after her death. She was also determined that cancer would not become her identity. She carried her burden as privately as possible, with tremendous bravery and grace. She was a wonderful mother, wife, and friend, and she was put on this earth to be a wonderful teacher. With her students, she was skilled in teaching math, English or social studies, but her real gift was making every student feel special. She was a master at building self-esteem and confidence helping students navigate the challenging middle school years. She saw the potential in every student and did her best to help each student be their best. With her friends and family, she taught us how to love and to have fun. She always had time for everyone. She loved people and she loved to “chat”. She never met a stranger, and she had a wonderful gift of feeling comfortable around people no matter their station in life. Heidi was born April 17, 1958 in Greenville, Michigan to Donald Harrison Walton and Paula Ann (Molter) Walton. She was the middle child of the family, which included older brother Mike and younger sister Lee Ann. After several work related moves (Heidi’s dad was an executive at agricultural equipment manufacturer, Massey Ferguson, and his early career required a number of relocations.), the family returned to its Ohio roots and settled in the Buckeye Valley School District, where Heidi attended school from kindergarten through high school. She is preceded in death by her beloved mother, Paula Walton; her father-in–law, Carl Steitz; grandparents, Harrison and Fern Walton, and Ralph and Beulah Bame. She is survived by her adoring husband, Timothy C. Steitz, daughter Mackenzie Ann Steitz and son Benjamin T. Steitz, all at home, her father, Donald (Maxine) Walton of Greenville, South Carolina, mother-in-law Janis Ann Steitz of Lisbon, brother Michael (Teri) Walton of Sunbury and sister Lee Ann (David) Hogan of Ashley, sister-in-law Cassie Steitz of Lisbon, aunt Peggy Gooding of Tiffin, aunt Caroline Kelly of Canfield, and aunt and uncle Diane and Lee Dull of Lisbon. Also surviving are nieces and nephews: Michele Walton of Sunbury, Nicole (Michael) de Bear of Hilliard, Allyssa (Adam) Stewart of Cardington, Tim Hogan of Washington, D.C.; Brendan Hogan and Lillian Hogan of Ashley, Lindsay (Bradley Chandler) Bosel of Lisbon, Carlie (Alec) Beech of Salem, and Chad Bosel, serving in the United States Air Force, currently stationed in Okinawa, Japan; and grand nieces and nephews: McKayla de Bear, Kennedy de Bear, Joseph de Bear and Joe Stewart, as well as many dear cousins and many, many dear friends. Her two dogs will especially miss her – Max (“The best and smartest dog I ever had.”) and Tucker (“Oh well, at least he is cute.”). Heidi graduated from Buckeye Valley High School in 1976. She began pursuing her passion to become a teacher by attending the Ohio State University where she received a bachelor degree in education in 1981. Her determination and persistence became evident in her college years. She held two jobs and carried a full load of classes. She was forced to drop out of college to take care of her sick mother who also lost her battle to cancer when Heidi was 21. After returning to school and graduating, she landed a teaching position in the Cardington-Lincoln Local School District. She absolutely loved her students at Cardington and talked of the experience often. Her favorite stories included selling homemade buckeye necklaces to raise money for a field trip to the Ohio Theater in Columbus, and advising the cheerleaders. She stayed at Cardington for 6 years and enjoyed every minute. Heidi then took a teaching position in the Olentangy Local School District. When she arrived, there was just one building for grades K-12. But the district experienced enormous growth over the span of her Olentangy career from 1987 to 2014. It now has 27 buildings and 4 distinct high schools. She was proud to be a part of such a vibrant, growing community. She continued her own education to make herself an even better teacher. In her early years at Olentangy, she earned a master degree from Ashland University majoring in guidance and curriculum. She moved to Olentangy Liberty Middle School when it opened and remained there until her retirement. Both her kids attended Wyandot Run Elementary School, next door to OLMS, and the Olentangy Liberty Middle School, so she enjoyed years of close contact with her kids as they grew. She was named the 2008-2009 Liberty Middle School Teacher of the year. But her greatest accomplishment, as always, was her connection to the kids. She endured the testing and the curriculum de jour. She always said there was no sense complaining because it would all change back in a few years. But the one thing that did not change was her love for her students. She was dedicated to them and helping them to be successful. That is why she loved one-on-one tutoring. It seems like there was always a kid sitting at the family dining table in the evenings and on weekends, all the way up to mid-2018 when she become too sick to do it any longer. She was lucky enough to do what she loved to do her entire life – teach. She was a member of St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church, which she attended with her family for the past 20+ years. She grew up in the Methodist Church and had a strong faith in God. She was the faith driver of the family. You did not miss church, you had to be ready early because the “bus” left the house a half hour before Mass, you were expected to dress up (don’t even think about wearing jeans), and you better not mumble during the Profession of Faith, or leave early. She loved her kids “to the moon and back”. She loved spending time with her friends and family. She loved spending money on shopping trips, but she was a very disciplined, smart shopper. She loved deals. She had an exquisite fashion sense, helped by her experience working at Lazarus/Macys during her college years. She loved beach vacations, the pool, and her boat. She loved to work in the garden and decorate her house (She also had superb taste in decorating her home.). She loved “Fixer Upper” so much on TV that she did a fixer upper property in real life. She enjoyed a cold beer and drank a glass of red wine for “medicinal purposes” every night before bed. Her favorite saying, which was passed on to her from her mother was, “Life is too short.” - too short to waste time, too short to be mad, too short to hold grudges, too short not to buy the shoes, and too short not to eat the cake. The family will receive friends at the Rutherford Funeral Home at Powell, 450 W. Olentangy St., Friday, March 15 from 2:00-4:00 pm and 6:00-8:00 pm. A Funeral Mass will be said at 10:00 am Saturday, March 16 at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church in Powell. Burial will follow at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Heidi Walton Steitz Education Foundation, https://walcom.com/HeidiSteitz which will be used to support educational programs and scholarships at the schools with which Heidi had a connection. Special thanks to the many healthcare professionals who helped make Heidi a cancer survivor for the past 17 years. Thanks to the dedicated staff at Ohio Health and the Bing Cancer Center, The James Cancer Hospital, Mount Carmel St. Ann’s Hospital, The Zangmeister Cancer Center, and Mount Carmel Hospice. Very special thanks to Dr. Timothy Moore, her oncologist, neighbor and friend. He fought almost as hard as she did. Also special thanks to Teri Walton, Heidi’s sister-in-law and “private nurse”. Her tireless effort and skills allowed Heidi to be at home most of the last seven months. Arrangements by Rutherford Funeral Home at Powell, 450 W. Olentangy Street, Powell, Ohio 43065. Please send condolences to www.rutherfordfuneralhomes.com.

Heidi Steitz

April 17, 1958 - March 4, 2019