Louis William (Bill) Heist, Jr.

October 21, 1947 – October 4, 2019

Retired Engineer, Certified Barbecue Judge, Grandpa

Bill was born in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1947 to Louis William and Agnes Catherine Heist. He graduated from Shawnee Mission North High School in 1965 and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Kansas in 1970. He was a proud Jayhawk!

Bill began work with the Dow Chemical Company immediately after college in the Midland, Michigan Division. In January of 1974, he was promoted to Production Engineer in the Riverside Plant in Pevely, Missouri. He worked there until August of 1978, when he moved his family to Springfield, Missouri, to accept the role as Engineering and Maintenance Superintendent at Lily Tulip, Incorporated. Bill spent five years as a professional recruiter before returning to engineering in 1988 at Riddell and Associates, then accepted a Project Manager role at ESC, Inc. In July of 1995, he joined Whitney Contractors, before finishing his career at Smith Goth Engineering. In retirement, Bill pursued a career as a Kansas City Barbecue Society Certified Barbecue Judge.

Bill's wife, Beverly Sue Heist, died in December 2015. Bill became very active at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church, volunteering for the weekly Lent Fish Fry and the Harvest Home Festival. He was an active member of the Men's Group and enjoyed working the fireworks and Christmas tree tent sales. Bill would travel often to Cincinnati, Ohio to watch his grandsons play baseball and help supervise Boy Scout Eagle Scout Projects. He also traveled to Sugar Land, Texas to watch his granddaughters play soccer and enjoyed trips to the strawberry farm with them every spring. The girls always looked forward to Grandpa's ham and chili. Travel included an annual trip to Des Moines, Iowa to watch the Kentucky Derby with his brother-in-law and sister-in-law and many trips to St. Louis and Kansas City to visit family. His favorite recent trip was to St. Louis to view the total eclipse with his big sister. He had big plans to be in the path of totality for the next eclipse.

Bill was diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndrome and had recently moved to Sugar Land, Texas to be closer to family and undergo a clinical trial at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. Bill is survived by two children, Brent Heist and wife, Rebekah, Cincinnati, Ohio and Bridget Mueller and husband, Bryant, Sugar Land, Texas; six grandchildren, Byron, Ethan, and Eric Heist, Cincinnati, Ohio and Ali, Mason, and Brylee Mueller, Sugar Land, Texas; two sisters, Sharon Rolph, St. Charles, Missouri and Georgianne Kleiss and husband, Rod, Grantsburg, Wisconsin; one nephew, nine nieces and their families, and numerous friends and neighbors.

Bill's cremation was entrusted to Gorman-Scharpf Funeral Home. A memorial mass and celebration of Bill's life will be held on Saturday, November 9, 2019, at 11:00 am, at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church, 2200 W. Republic Road. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Bill's honor to St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church.