Mountain Ranch, CA…Mass of Christian burial for Wendelyn (Wendell) Heier, 58, of Mountain Ranch, CA will be held at 10:30 AM Saturday, November 14, 2015 at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Hosmer, SD with Fr. Mike Kelly celebrating. Wendell passed away Thursday, October 1, 2015. He was born September 3, 1957 to Margaret (Hopfinger) and Adam Heier. He grew up on a small family farm near Hosmer, SD, where he loved spending time in nature, especially walking amongst the trees. He often entertained his younger siblings telling stories of a fictional character he created, using the same character to tell stories to his two boys later in his life. He attended school in Hosmer graduating with the class of 1975. Following graduation, Wendell moved to California and began his career as a butcher working for his Uncle John Heier at Pure Sausage in Lodi, CA where he stayed until February 1984. For the next 25 years he worked with Big Trees Market in Avery and Arnold, CA. Wendell’s passion was to open his own market so he could share the skills he learned from his uncle John and from his cousins in Hosmer, SD. In 2009, he helped open T.W. Meat Co. butcher shop in Valley Springs, CA as part owner which closed in 2012 at which time he took a position with Senders Market in Mountain Ranch, CA.

Wendell married Debi Chapin on October, 5, 1991 in Lake Tahoe, NV. From this union they had two sons, Travis, 22, and Zachary, 18, who were at the center of his life. Travis is attending college in Chico, CA where he is earning his mechanical engineering degree and also working part-time at a local pizza parlor. Zachary loves to cook and is attending culinary school in Sonora, CA where he plans to graduate in two years and begin his career as a chef.
Along with his sons and their mother, Debi, blessed to have shared Wendell’s life are his parents: Margaret and Adam Heier; his siblings: Len (Jean) Heier of Rapid City, SD; Pius (Gerri) Heier of Aberdeen, SD; Barney (Pam) Heier of Sioux Falls, SD; Ray Heier of Sioux Falls, SD; Kathy (Stan) Mohr of Clark, SD; Robert Heier of Kulm, ND; Bernie (Jack) Davis of Woonsocket, SD; Carol Scholten of Renner, SD; John (Kathy) Heier of Aberdeen, SD; Mike (Barb) Heier of Colorado Springs, CO; Ed (Brenda) Heier of Prior Lake, MN; and Tim (Michelle) Heier of Longmont, CO; and 33 nieces and nephews.

Wendell was preceded in death by his parents Margaret and Adam and one nephew, Derek.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to a fund set up in memory of Wendell and sent to Bernie Davis, PO Box 95, Woonsocket, SD 75385.