Arthur Charles Heaton

Arthur Charles Heaton ("Pop"), beloved husband, father, grandfather, and great grandfather, went home to the Lord on Monday afternoon, October 27th. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Beth, and first wife of 46 years, Jeanne. He was also preceded in death by his 5 brothers and 6 sisters. So, Monday was quite a homecoming for him with them in Heaven. Art liked to refer to himself as the "Last of the MoHeatons" after the last of his siblings died.
Art is survived by his second wife, Maree. He never thought that he would find love again as a spring chicken of 77 years. They would have celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary in December. He is also survived by his daughter Susan McGraw, his son Steve Heaton and his wife Carol, and his daughter Sandy Kampe and her husband Frank. He was blessed with 6 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren.
Art was born in Fargo, North Dakota, on July 29th, 1922. He was the 3rd youngest of his 12 siblings. His mother, Alice, died when Art was 10 years old. This life-changing event taught him to be resourceful at a very early age. He grew up as a young man during the Great Depression and worked for a time with the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corp). He enlisted in the United States Marines in 1942. Art served in the Southwest Pacific throughout World War II and re-enlisted to serve in Japan during the Korean War. His service included maintenance on fighter aircraft and medium bombers during WWII and helicopters during the Korean War. During these years in the Marines, he learned and developed many of the skills he would use for work during his life.
Art met his first wife, Jeanne, in Washington DC while both were in the service. After a short courtship, they were married in April of 1944. During his time in the service and early years following it, Art and Jeanne moved many times. They eventually settled in Minnesota where Art did many jobs requiring his jack-of-all-trades skills. Eventually, he moved the family to Houston in the mid 1960s where he could practice his trade as an independent painter / contractor year round. No matter what work Art did, above all, he was an honorable man who treated people fairly and always found a way to provide for his family. In the truest sense, Art was a family man who cherished spending many hours with his family around a table playing dominos, cards, board games, or just sharing stories.
Art was a godly man. Even though his mother died when he was 10, she had modeled faith in God to him which he remembered vividly. His brother, Bob, was very instrumental in Art's decision to have a personal relationship with Jesus. Additionally, Art was influenced greatly in his walk by Billy Graham.
Art was a man who believed wholeheartedly in the power of prayer. He would tell anyone that his prayer to the Lord to empower him to quit smoking was responsible for that occurring literally overnight.
Because Art had a heart for God, he prayed continually for his friends and family. And, you could find him reading his Bible on a daily basis seeking comfort and wisdom from his Lord and Savior.
All of these qualities created a servant's heart in Art such that he would give generously to anyone in need-many times to his own detriment. These qualities also gave him a faith in God which allowed him to trust Jesus unconditionally---even to the point of choosing to forego surgery which meant he would die. By the world's standards, he was not a wealthy man. But because Art loved God and his family, and he was loved by them, he was a very rich man.
In lieu of flowers and to continue the legacy of Art's servant heart, the family requests donations be made to a favorite charity.