Lester Heins

Lester (Les) Heins

BILLINGS - Lester (Les) Heins, age 91, had a Heavenly reunion with his beloved wife, Beverley (who passed away on November 21, 2022), when he died peacefully in his sleep on January 11, 2023. Les was born in 1931 to Katherine and George Heins in Billings, Montana. Les began a lifelong love of the Stillwater River near Absarokee as a toddler, camping and fishing with his parents and sister and brother from the early 1930s through the 1950s. He attended public schools in Billings and graduated from Billings Senior High School in 1949, where he was active in drama productions and basketball. Les attended Eastern Montana College from 1949 to 1953, graduating with a degree in education. While at EMC, Les played basketball, and as a star athlete, set a Yellowjacket Career Scoring Record that remains the third highest EMCSUB career scoring total to this day – 70 years later! Les was inducted into the MSU Billings Athletic Hall of Fame in 1990.

Les was drafted into the Army during the Korean War in 1953, the year he met the love of his life on a blind date – Beverley Hanson. They were engaged in 1954. Les was honorably discharged from the Army in May 1955. Les and Bev were married on June 18, 1955 at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Billings. Les started his education career that year, teaching art at Garfield School. He then taught art at Riverside Junior High School for several years before moving to Billings Senior High School, where he became the head of the art department until he retired in 1983. He was loved by his students and revered by his colleagues for his humor and story telling. A talented artist in his own right, Les created countless acrylic paintings throughout the years, and was an accomplished sign painter and silk screener – skills he employed after school, on weekends and during the summers to supplement his teacher's income. After retiring from teaching, Les started his own sign business, Les Heins Signwork, which he operated until 2008.

Les loved his four children and told them so frequently – son John (1956), twin sons Joe and Jim (1959), and daughter Lisa (1962). Les was a huge influence on his children's appreciation of music, art and nature. He played the accordion and harmonica, loved listening to an eclectic mix of records on the family Magnavox console stereo, and was always demonstrating his drawing, painting and silk screening abilities. His influence on John's classical music composing and performance and Joe & Jim's graphic design and illustration business later in life can't be over estimated. His tenacity, work ethic, drive and encouragement impacted Lisa throughout her career as business leader, owner and CFO. These values and talents carry on in his grandchildren. Countless weekends were spent together as a family camping at Cooney Dam (Les was an avid slalom water skier during the 1960s) and on the Boulder River. Returning to the area of the Stillwater where he spent his youth fishing, Les purchased an acre of riverfront land in 1971, which would become a beloved camping and gathering spot for the family for the next 37 years.

In 1977, Les encountered Christ in a very personal way when he participated in a Cursillo retreat weekend. Les' faith journey was full-speed ahead from that day on. He remained active in the Cursillo movement through the early 1990s, when he was Rector of a weekend retreat.

By 1983, Les and Bev had built a small cabin on the Stillwater property and were spending more time there. They sold their Billings home on Dallas Drive in 1990 and moved to the Stillwater cabin, which was being remodeled into a 2-story home with a large detached garage for Les' sign business. Between 1983 and 1995, eight grandchildren were added to Les' life. All of them share cherished memories of Grandpa on his riding mower and camping in his "front yard." Les and Bev also made many trips to Cannon Beach, Oregon during these years, where they enjoyed the ocean view and good books. Also cherished through the years were many golf dates and get-togethers with a core group of beloved friends.

Life slowed down in the early 2000s, and in 2008, health issues that both Les and Bev were struggling with forced them to sell the cherished Stillwater property, and they moved into a patio home in Billings. The next eight years were consumed by a series of health crises, surgeries and hospitalizations for both Les and Bev. In 2016, they sold the patio home and moved into The Vista at St John's. Les always counted his family as his greatest blessing, including by now, nine great grandchildren! Les struggled with mobility issues for the next 7 years – a result of old basketball injuries and unsuccessful surgeries. He had to have his right foot removed in early 2022 and was adapting well to his prosthetic, when Bev was diagnosed with terminal cancer in July. Her death in November of that year was a loss too great for him to bear.

Les is preceded in death by his wife Beverley, his parents George and Katherine Heins, an older brother who died at birth, sister Dolores Spencer, and brother Mike Heins. He is survived by his children, John (Lyn) Heins of Broomfield, Colorado; Joe (Cheryl) Heins of Laurel, Montana; Jim (Linda) Heins of Billings, Montana; and Lisa (Jim) Koch of Kirkland, Washington; his grandchildren, Jenni (Rob) Gilson of Gillette, Wyoming; Maddie (James) Stanfield of Brisbane, Australia; Stephen Koch of Bellevue, Washington; Alice (Zac) Frank of Billings, Montana; Holly (Zach) Brehm of Billings, Montana; Jasper Heins of Columbus, Ohio; Emily Koch of Bellingham, Washington; and Anisa Heins of Boulder, Colorado; his great grandchildren Corbin, Carter, Emma, Silas, Elise, Chloe, Bailee, Hayden and Julian; and five nieces and six nephews.

A joint memorial service for both Bev and Les is planned for March 25, 2023 at Smith Funeral Chapel – West Chapel, 304 34th Street West in Billings from 10:00 am to Noon with reception and lunch following. Cremations have taken place. After the lunch, burial of Les and Bev's cremains will take place at Calvary Cemetery, St. Pius Church in Billings.