WENDELL JOHN HEATON

On Wednesday, February 8, Wendell John Heaton, loving husband, brother, and father, died at age 85, while vacationing in Aruba. John was born in Creston, IA on April 4, 1937, to Wendell George and Helen (Lichty) Heaton, but soon moved to Bellevue, NE, where his father grew gladiolus. John graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in horticulture and immediately joined the Air Force. He flew C130's for 9 years and did multiple tours in Vietnam. John left the Air Force in 1968 to run Knupper Nursery in Palatine, IL until it was sold in 2018. John was a former President of the Illinois Nurseryman's Association. John was also very active in the Palatine community, including being a former president of Rotary and a former Chairman of the Palatine Chamber of Commerce. John had a special zest for life, and especially loved tennis and traveling. He was a certified scuba diver and he loved riding horses. He was proud of the fact that he had visited all 7 continents, but his real pride was learning to ride a motorcycle at the age of 80. He and his wife Sue rode their bikes the entire length of Route 66, they rode Tail of the Dragon in the Smoky Mountains, they rode around the Great Lakes. They rode to Sturgis and to Washington, DC. Then they bought an RV and continued exploring the USA. He will be remembered for his adventurous spirit, his love of life, and his kind and compassionate spirit. John and his wife, Sue, had recently moved from their North Barrington home to the Lake Geneva area. Please join our family for a Celebration of Life in John's honor. We hope you'll toast his full life and share with us some of your favorite "John" memories. We will be at the Ridge Hotel on Rte 50 in Lake Geneva on Saturday, April 22 from 3 - 5.