Vicky Heeley

Vicky Lee Heeley, 77, of Edmonds, WA, passed away Friday July 12, 2024, at home with her family by her side. She was born in Pocatello, Idaho, on June 29, 1947, the daughter of Charles William Dietrich and Katherine May Lovin, and the youngest of four siblings. She was an active child, but sadly contracted polio at the very young age of 5. Luckily she overcame being in an iron lung and went on to be very active in school and continued education in business studies. Vicky went through many hardships in her teens and 20s, but she was always working and self-educating to better her life and situation.

Vicky met her soulmate Derek at the age of 32, who went on to become a father to her 5 children and a caring, loving, loyal person to the family. They traveled together all over the world to live and work, including England, Israel, Germany, South Africa and the United States.

Vicky was always immensely supportive to her children and kept in touch with them religiously. She was an incredibly charismatic and bubbly person, was extremely well-read, and had an extraordinary business mind. She was forever coming up with creative solutions and ideas, and she liked to pass those ideas on to family and friends, many of whom said she was ahead of her time.

She loved spending time with her husband, and they were always together. With her exceptionally active mind, she was a talker and enjoyed having long chats with her friends and family about a great many subjects, including family history, business, music, spiritual growth, the women's movement, alternative healing, and politics. Vicky really loved to dance! Even though she had physical limitations, she never let that stop her when it came to dancing. She was also an avid reader, puzzler, crocheter, and enjoyed coloring and cooking.

She dealt with many health issues later in life due to the polio, and was affected more and more in the last few years of her life. We all love and miss her terribly, but we are somewhat comforted by the fact that she is no longer suffering.

Vicky was preceded in death by her son Daniel J. Sorg, as well as her two sisters and one brother. She is survived by her loving husband of 44 years, Derek A. Heeley and her 4 other children, David R. Heeley, Katherine I. Sorg, Madeline E. Heeley, and John Griffin, as well as 6 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.