Geraldine (Lemieux) Heins (Geri), 76, Springfield, passed away after a four-year struggle with several health problems, on Wednesday, June 24, 2020, at Mercy Hospital.  She was born on March 18, 1944, in Blue Island, Illinois, the daughter of Wilbert and Evelyn Lemieux.

Geri's early years were spent in the Chicago suburbs, Overland Park, KS, and Springfield. She attended Parkview High in Springfield but graduated from Belton High in Belton, MO. She attended Southwest Missouri State College (MSU) in Springfield.

Geri's work career began with Heer's/Allied Department Store in Springfield. Allied sent her to New York City for millinery school and then to the Allied store in Waterloo, IA.  She also worked at the Paul Mueller Company in Springfield, at an accounting firm in Chicago, and the Ross Perot company, EDS, in Dallas, TX, where she was one of the key people who kept the phone lines open during Operation Hotfoot, the EDS employee hostage rescue in 1978. More recently she worked at Chico's in Springfield and Branson.

She was an artist with knitting needles and food. Her baby blankets, scarves and hats for nieces and grand-nieces and grand-nephews are legendary. Her meals put many professional chefs to shame.

Geri is survived by her loving husband of 40 years, Mark Heins, and one sister, Sharon Allison (Andrew), of Indian Head Park, IL. Her five nieces, Melissa Allison-Hinshaw, Kristin Allison-Anderson, Amy Allison-Carroll, Nicole Allison-Gauthier, all living in the western Chicago suburbs, and Sarah Allison-Patariu of Vienna, VA, and many grand- nephews and grand-nieces will dearly miss their beloved GIGI.

Visitation will be held from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 2, 2020, in Gorman-Scharpf Funeral Home.

Please consider a gift to your favorite charity in lieu of flowers.