Gregory William Heilman

Gregory W. Heilman SUFFOLK - Gregory William Heilman, 55, passed away Feb. 5, 2009, at his home. Born Aug. 2, 1953, in Fostoria, Ohio, he was a member of St. Therese's Catholic Church. He had been a staff member at Tidewater Community College for 25 years, serving in various scientific, technical and teaching positions while there, including designing and building the observatory at the Portsmouth campus. More recently, he worked as a central office technician for Verizon. Greg worked with the Boy Scouts for many years, beginning as an assistant scoutmaster and finally as a BSA district commissioner, and was president of the River Breeze Homeowners Association. He served his country with honor in the U.S. Navy for six years and served on the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise. Greg is survived by his loving family, including his wife of nearly 30 years, Karen Cowger Heilman; his son, Matthew Gregory Heilman of Chesapeake; his parents, William C. and Erma Bentz Heilman of Chesapeake; sister, Linda Porter and husband Fred of Portsmouth; brother, John Heilman and wife Debbie of Kennett Square, Pa.; and several nieces and nephews. The family will receive friends from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday in Baker-Foster Funeral Home, Bennett's Creek Chapel, 5685 Lee Farm Lane, Suffolk. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Monday by the Rev. Robert L. Cummins at the Church of St. Therese, 4137 Portsmouth Blvd., Chesapeake. A reception will be held at the church immediately after the service, followed by burial in Greenlawn Memorial Gardens. Memorial donations may be made to the American Cancer Society, 4416 Expressway Drive, Virginia Beach, VA 23452. Condolences may be registered at www.rwbakerfh.com.