Grace McCain Heidt

Grace McCain Heidt passed away peacefully on January 2, 2026 in Virginia Beach, VA surrounded by her family just one month shy of her 100th birthday.
Grace was born in 1926 in Little Rock, AR, the daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Charles Simonton McCain. She grew up in New York City and Chicago and was a graduate of Vassar College. In 1946 she married Larry Durrell of Scarborough, NY. Together they had three children and a happy life in Kansas City, MO. Although this marriage was tragically cut short in 1963 with Larry's passing, Grace would find love again when she met Ed Heidt, himself a widower with three grown children. They married in 1971 and settled in the Cedar Point area of Suffolk. Their idyllic home overlooking the Nansemond River would be the place of many large family gatherings and social celebrations for decades to come. Grace and Ed would spend many years traveling the world and creating lasting memories with countless friends and relatives until Ed passed away in 2006. Shortly thereafter, Grace moved to Westminster Canterbury in Virginia Beach where she continued a productive retirement and vibrant social life and became involved in many aspects of the community. Throughout her life, Grace was a keen musician, an avid golfer and bridge player and a voracious reader. She also spent many hours corresponding with her vast extended family and network of friends, rarely going a day without sending a letter, card or e-mail to a loved one even in her final days.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her brothers William S. McCain and Charles S. McCain Jr, her first husband Lawrence R. Durrell, her second husband Edward A. Heidt and her son Robert M. Heidt. She is survived by her daughters Frances D. Martin, Katherine D. Robison (Charles) and Susan H. Slack, her sons David L. Durrell and Edward A. Heidt Jr, as well as nine grandchildren, several great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.
The family would like to extend its sincere gratitude to the staff of Virginia Beach General Hospital and Westminster Canterbury for their attentiveness and care for Grace in her final days.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Westminster Canterbury Foundation. The memorial service will be held at Westminster Canterbury located at 3100 Shore Drive, Virginia Beach, VA 23451 at 12:00 PM on Saturday January 10.