John William Heermans
Marriages
Audrey Vickers - 1951
Burial Details
Obituaries
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 5A Death Notice - October 7, 2017
John William Heermans, 93, Grand Junction, died Oct. 5,
2017, at his home.
Services will take place at 10:30 a.m. Oct. 27 at the Church of the
Nativity.
He was an electrical engineer at IBM and served in the U.S. Navy.
Survivors include his wife, Audrey; four sons, Jeffery and Stuart,
both of Colorado, Andrew of New York City and Christopher of
California; one daughter, Alison of New Mexico; 15 grandchildren;
and 11 great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions to HopeWest, 3090B N. 12th St., Grand
Junction 81506; or to the Church of the Nativity, 2175 Broadway,
Grand Junction 81507.
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 8A Obituary - October 11, 2017
John William Heermans, age
93, left this world early
Thursday morning, holding
the hands of members of his
loving family in Grand
Junction, CO.
Mr. Heermans was born in
Jamaica, Queens, NY, in
1924, the child of Dora and
Guy Heermans. He graduated
from Jamaica High School.
During WWII, he was a rear
gunner and radioman of a
torpedo bomber stationed on
the aircraft carrier U.S.S. San
Jacinto in the western pacific
from 1944 - 1945. He was
awarded five air medals, four
with gold stars, the
Distinguished Flying Cross
and a Presidential Citation for
his heroism and bravery. After
his naval discharge he joined the Army with the rank of 2nd
Lieutenant SIGC, USAR and attended Clarkson College in
upstate NY, receiving a bachelor’s degree in electrical
engineering.
While at Clarkson he met his future wife, Audrey Vickers.
They married in 1951, and over the years, raised five children,
Jeffrey, Andrew, Alison, Stuart, and Christopher, whom they
inspired to be optimistic and successful in their lives.
He worked for 30 years at IBM in Poughkeepsie and Kingston,
New York and in Boulder, Colorado as a Senior Engineer.
He was a member of many churches including St. Gregory’s in
Woodstock, NY, St. Mary Magdalene’s in Boulder, CO, and
Church of the Nativity in Grand Junction, CO. His support and
love never wavered for his family as it grew to over 40 souls,
including 15 grandchildren, and 11 great-grandchildren. It is
true in more ways than one, that his generation was the greatest,
most stoic and dedicated folks that have ever lived. He will be
missed by all and never forgotten.
In lieu of flowers, please make contributions to Church of the
Nativity, Hospice, or Habitat for Humanity.
A memorial service will be held on Friday, October 27, 2017,
at Church of the Nativity at 10:00 a.m. and a military service at
1:00 p.m. at the Veteran’s Memorial Cemetery.
