Margaret June HEIMBIGNER

1926 - 2016

HEIMBIGNER, Margaret June (Pavlik)
(Age 89)

Of Spokane died October 29th in the comfort of the home of her daughter, Zoe Ann Schmidtke in Richland, WA. Margaret was born in 1926 in the small town of Buffalo, North Dakota. She graduated from Buffalo High School in 1944 and graduated from North Dakota State University in 1948. She married Martin L. Heimbigner on June 14, 1957.
For over 30 years Margaret was an employee of the Spokesman-Review starting in the early 1960's. She had a prominent role as the newspaper's Food Editor and head of the Dorothy Dean Homemakers Service. She and her family took great pride in her work as "Dorothy Dean" since it seemed like everyone in Spokane knew of Dorothy Dean. Throughout the years there have been many comments in the newspaper and online about the impact of Dorothy Dean on families who benefited from the weekly articles, the "Green Three Ring Binder" cookbook and the call in "Ask Dorothy Dean" service. Just one of the many quotes from readers, "The most special part of (my favorite Dorothy Dean recipe) is the memories it evokes when I make it. It is a treat I only make when my girls are home visiting. The desert takes us back on a trip down memory lane each time we enjoy it."
Her children were avid runners at North Central High School and this led Margaret to take up running in her late 50s. Margaret ran in Bloomsday for over 20 years and called it "the most exciting thing of the year in Spokane". Her last completed race was in 2004 when she finished ninth of 15 women age 77. She remained active with her avid love of gardening and continued to walk regularly throughout her life. She was a passionate community volunteer with such organizations such as Troika Triathlon, Junior Bloomsday and Spokane's First Night celebration. She attended Westminster Presbyterian Church in Spokane.
She was an active member of the Spokane County Democrats throughout her life. She prominently displayed a picture of herself and her husband with Speaker of the House Thomas Foley from a special visit to Washington D.C. in the early 1990's.
She was predeceased by her husband of 46 years, Martin "Marty" Heimbigner a barber at the Ridpath Barbershop, who died on July 23, 2003. She was also predeceased by her siblings John Pavlik, Mary Jane Grieve, Frank Pavlik, and Catherine Monilaws. She is survived by a daughter, Zoe Ann Schmidtke and husband Gary; a son Martin Heimbigner Jr. and wife Jennie and grandson Matthew Heimbigner.
Her memorial service is scheduled for Sunday, November 13th at 2:00 PM at Heritage Funeral Home at Riverside Memorial Park (508 W. Government Way, Spokane, 99224).
Memorials may be made to Westminster Presbyterian Church (2705 W. Boone, Spokane, 99201), Spokane Humane Society (6607 N. Havana Street, Spokane, 99217), or a charity of your choice.