“Never throw away the newspaper,” as Dana Heinritz, who entered eternal life on Friday, May 5, 2017, at Meridian Village, Glen Carbon, Ill., would say. “You have to cut out the word jumble, the bridge game, and any article a family member needs to read. Don’t worry about the crossword puzzle; it’s too boring.”
Her surviving family, sister-in-law, Bonnie Stout, nieces, and nephew Llyle Morgan, Dana Johns (Frank), Kendall Stout (Mari), Andrea Mercer, and stepdaughter-in-law, Linda Heinritz were blessed to learn many valuable lessons from Dana’s 96 years. Always use a letter opener; you don’t want any jagged edges, you might want to use the envelope as a notepad. Go to church- as church treasurer, if you’re not going to church, cancel your membership, it costs the church money. Give to charity but only in December.
Encourage everyone you meet to share their life story; it will be interesting (well, most of them), and you may learn someplace new to travel. Roll up the newspaper tightly from the bottom up you can get more in the recycle bin. Balance your budget every month, and don’t spend anything that’s not budgeted. Invest wisely; you may need it when you are 70. Iron your sheets, you’ll sleep better. Lend a hand whenever you can. It brings joy to them and you.
Dana was born on a beautiful spring day at home in a small coal town in Illinois with the help of a neighbor and a local doctor. She was the firstborn, and her smile brought sunshine to her parents. Later, she was joined by sisters Alice, Rosemary, and brother Gaylord.