Violet Heyd

1932 - 2025

Violet Justine Heyd, a loving and full of life woman loved by all who knew her, passed away peacefully in her home on March 4, 2025 at the age of 92. Known to most as "Vi" she had a great sense of humor with an infectious laugh that made her bright blue eyes twinkle. She loved to garden and had an amazing green thumb, was a master at sewing and fixing things, and had exceptional baking skills. She had a special kind of warmth and zest for life and even the simplest things like a drive through the country roads or finding a pretty rock on the ground would make her happy. Not a day went by where she didn't talk about her family or say with tears in her eyes "I've had the most wonderful life"- her family was arguably her most important achievement and greatest joy. She was lucky enough to meet eight of her ten Great-Grandchildren and leaves behind a legacy that will be cherished forever.
She was born July 10, 1932 in North Dakota and moved to Lodi in 1942 with her parents and five siblings. She attended Lodi High and married her high school sweetheart, John Costamagna Sr who tragically passed away shortly after their son John Costamagna Jr was born. She went on to marry Lloyd Heyd and together they built a beautiful life for nearly 50 years before his passing in 2015. She welcomed two more children, Jan (Wilson) and Julie (Vaz) and enjoyed a quiet and simple country life tending to her garden and almond orchard but first and foremost, loved being a mother and homemaker. When her children were grown, she started work at Geweke Ford where she was a bookkeeper for sixteen years and was then promoted to manager of the Geweke Hotel upon its opening. After her and Lloyd's retirements, they enjoyed many travels across the country and spent their summers in Wisconsin where their daughter and her family lived. In her later years she was a devoted grandmother and loved having her grandkids over to play card games, read books, and bake cookies together. They would leave her house with bellies full of her famous chocolate chip cowboy cookies and would send them off with a wave from the front porch - a ritual she held up even until the end. She will be greatly and deeply missed and will always hold the most special place in our hearts. Her family would like to thank Joe Abba for the love and companionship he showed her for the last eight years of her life. She shared so many laughs and hard fought games of Rummikub with him and we all love and appreciate him for making her final years very happy ones.
Violet is proceeded in death by her parents Lenora and James Davis, her sisters Tootie Fletcher, Lu Galindo, Joie Cawelti, her brother Jimmy Davis, and her husbands, John Costamagna and Lloyd Heyd. She is survived in death by her sister Louise Salaun, her three children and their spouses, John (Kelly) Costamagna, Jan (Kim) Wilson, and Julie (Phil) Vaz. Her six grandchildren and their spouses, Sally (Javier) Rivera, Maggie (Van) Hill, Carrie (Jason) Wooton, Johnny Costamagna, Cody (Stephanie) Vaz, and Chelsea (Adam) Ellis. Lastly her eight great-grandchildren, Marco and Elena Rivera, Josie and Brodie Hill, Lily, Harper, and Miles Vaz, and Cooper Ellis.
We would like to thank Dr. Mark Hoff for all her health care over the years. Per her wishes there will be no service.