Thomas Roy Heidner went to be with the Lord March 7, 2024 just before turning 98, at Valley View Home in Glasgow Montana. Dad was born March 19, 1926 to Nelson E. and Dorothy J. Heidner in Mitchell, South Dakota. In 1931, at the age of 5, he moved to the family farm in Wolf Point, MT, with his parents and brother, Don. For 7 years, Dad attended South School, a small one room country school, about 3 miles from the farmstead. He attended grades 8-12 in Wolf Point, graduating in 1944 from WPHS. Tom was 19 when his mother died in 1945.
On March 22, 1946 Thomas married Margaret Toavs at Bethel Wolf Point Church. His first date with Mom was to take her home from a songfest held at the Lustre EMB church. He said he loved her family as they were full of fun. Dad attended Grace Bible Institute a year and they returned to Wolf Point with their first daughter, Susan. Tom and Margaret moved onto their farm July 4, 1947 and were blessed with 5 more children.They lived on the farm until 2013 when they moved into the town of Wolf Point. They were married 70 years. He continued to farm well into his 90’s.
Tom was a charter member of the United Mennonite Church which became Community Bible Church. He was always ready to serve, whether on the board, teaching Bible classes, leading the singing or supporting missionaries. Dad also served 15 years on the Board of Trustees at WPHS, and the KGLE Board for 12 years. He drove school bus for 34 years, 1959-93. He enjoyed his bus kids and was well loved by them. He loved talking daily, by radio, to his brother Don who also farmed and drove school bus.
Dad enjoyed life! He came to know The Lord as an early teen at a Church of God campground where he asked the speaker how he could know that he was a Christian. He loved quoting the verses from I John 5:13, Acts 16:31, Eph 2:8-9. He loved driving tractor and truck, fixing equipment, singing in quartets & choir, loving his grandchildren, reading, building things for mom and traveling to see family. He enjoyed gardening with Mom, and going to basketball games and Christian music groups that came to local churches. Dad and Mom were the love of each other’s lives, and he was lost without her. His priorities were God, family, farming and community. Dad’s primary goal was living out his faith in Jesus Christ daily.
Thomas was preceded in death by his wife, Margaret (2016), his mother, Dorothy (1945) father, Nelson (1986), his baby sister Karen, his step-Mother, Ruth Heidner (2000), his brothers Don and Loren, sister-in-law Velma Heidner and brother-in-law, Arlen Hilkemann and great granddaughter, Hope Hunter. He is survived by brothers, Dale (Irma) Heidner, Ken (Jane) Heidner, and sister, Marilyn Hilkemann, sister-in-law Marion Heidner. Children: Susan (Bob) Schlack, Carolyn (Bob) Lee, Leslie Heidner, Vivian (Dwaine) Wall, Beverly (Bob) Peterson and Jay Jeanette (David) Barnett. He is also survived by 22 grandchildren and their spouses, 45 great-grandchildren (plus 1 in August) and 5 great-great-grandchildren.
Memorials may be made to The Children’s Shelter of Cebu (in the Philippines), and to the printing of the New Testaments for the NotsiMadak tribe (in Papua New Guinea).