David William Heckenlively

The Rev. David William Heckenlively, 84, was born in Denver, Colorado on March 23, 1938, the eldest son of Harold and Dora Heckenlively. He graduated from East High School in Denver and then from Pomona College in California, majoring in International Relations. After college, he was invited by the United States government to serve in the armed forces. He requested a post in Europe, such as Germany or Austria. The Army said “We have the next best thing, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.” His assignment to Milwaukee was fortunate as he met the love of his life, Jeanne Wyle; they were married in June 1963. They had a son, John, in 1964 and a daughter, Kathryn, in 1965. David worked in retail at Sears Roebuck between 1966 and 1986, when he felt a calling to serve as a Minister. He attended Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary at Northwestern University and was ordained in the United Methodist Church in 1989 achieving the rank of Elder. He served churches in Madison, Racine, Beloit and West Allis before his retirement in 2003. Following his retirement, David was active in social justice issues, especially labor and immigrant rights issues. David is survived by his wife Jeanne, son John Harold, daughter Kathryn and brother John Robert, as well as Jeanne and David’s adopted family, Michael and Nancy Garren. Services for Reverend Heckenlively will take place at Max A. Sass and Son Funeral Home, 1515 West Oklahoma Avenue, Milwaukee on May 4. Visitation begins at 11 a.m. with the service at 1 p.m.