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 If
you would like to add your memories to this page, please send
them to me in an
email. It's never too late. Thanks, Ralph |
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 Wilma
(Heiden) Bicking - We were always happy when Ma would have
someone bring up the big black cast iron kettle from the
basement because that meant we were going to have doughnuts. The
doughnut holes rolled in sugar are something I never forgot. |
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 Janice
(Heiden) Clark - Until
the age of 11 or 12, (1951) my family lived in the same house as
Grandpa and Grandma Heiden. Our family lived on the west side of
the house while my grandparents and Aunts Helen and Jeanie lived
on the east side. It seemed like we always had company with
aunts and uncles and cousins visiting Grandma and Grandpa.
When Grandma wasn't cooking or baking (I thought her apple
turnover and fried rolls were the best!), I remember her taking
a break to list to Stella Dallas on the living room radio. That
was a soap opera from the 1940s and 50s. Occasionally, I'd sit
on the floor by the radio and listen to it with her. |
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 Gary
Fuller - I remember very little about my grandparents. I was
small, very shy and lived far away from them in Battle Creek. I
remember the very stern looks I would get from Grandma, as if to
say, “What is this little boy thinking and doing?” She would say
to my mother, Hilda, “He eats like a bird.” |
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 Verdell
(Heiden) Geibel - I
will never forget the raised donuts that Grandma made. They were
out of this world and, of course, everything was made from
scratch! |
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 Marilyn
(Fuller) Glubke - I
remember Grandma's home made bread and apple butter. I can remember eating warm raised
donuts rolled in sugar fresh out of the wood burning stove in
Grandma's kitchen. |
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 Sally
(Eipperle) Guy - I have numerous stories in my memory bank
about Ma & Pa Heiden. I lived with them from the time I was 20
months old until I was 9 years old (1939-1946). I lived with them again after I
had Bruce. We stayed on the other side of the house for about 1½ to
2 years (1957-59). I don’t ever remember Pa and Ma ever fighting but I am sure that I
got Grandpa into hot water several times. He always made you feel
that you were his favorite grandchild. Carol (Toburen) and I both knew that we
were his favorite of all. He used to go to Ida or to Meek’s Store a couple of times a week.
Then, he would always leave a bag of candy on the back seat of the
car. Carol and I used to try to beat each other to the car to see
who would be first to get to the candy. Once when he came back and
he had forgotten to get the candy but had purchased some rat poison
instead. I was the first one to get into the back of the car and it
sure looked like caramel to me. Before long, I was yelling for
Grandma because I had a real bad belly ache!
Grandma was very upset with Grandpa and acted as if it was all his
fault. I never heard any exchange of words between them but there
were a few disgusted looks from her to him.
 Grandma always kept the heal of the loaf of bread for me. When I was
older, she made sure that I knew how to bake bread too.
She would always set back in her rocking chair and let her hair down
to relax. You couldn’t imagine how long it was and she could get it
back up into the bun in a flash too. Whenever I was feeling bad or
sick, I would always lay on the sofa. No matter when I opened my
eyes, she would be right there beside me in the chair. She must have
spent many nights in that rocker because she would always be there
all through the night. Picture: Mary (Rambow) Heiden with her great
grandson, Bruce around 1958. |
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 Helen
Esther Heiden - It seems that Ma was always so busy on Saturdays baking bread, pies
and cookies. She would dress out about 3 chickens because she knew
we would generally have company every Saturday and Sunday for dinner
and supper. On Monday, we would start all over again looking forward
to the next weekend.
She also liked to play cards and she got a big kick out of beating
Pa because he thought he was the king of card players. Ma always
liked to watch the soap operas on T.V. and enjoyed seeing the Tigers
play ball games too. She enjoyed having company and baked three
times a week so there were always good things to eat when people
dropped by our house. |
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I remember the smell of the wood burning stove in the kitchen and
the sight of Grandpa out in the garden hoeing even when he was a
very old man. Grandma always seemed to have an apron on no matter
when I saw her during the day.
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 Richard
Carl Heiden - I remember Grandma Heiden for her great cooking
especially the long-john frosted breakfast rolls. |
 Velda
Heiden - Every Saturday morning, Grandma would make sugar doughnuts. Of
course, living just down the road, we would find some excuse to be
there on Saturday mornings. We would sit on the back steps and
Grandma would bring out a plateful of those warm doughnuts. No
bakery has ever come close to duplicating her recipe! |
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 Arlene (Fuller)
Johnson - I remember Grandma always baking bread,
making donuts and fixing delicious Sunday dinners. Grandpa would
go out and kill a chicken for dinner. There would be fresh
watermelon from the field and we would eat it out in the yard on
good days.
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 Patricia
(Bicking, Funkey) Klass - I guess as far as Grandma Heiden, I really can’t remember too much
except that when I was old enough to take notice, she had gotten
quite ill. She took to either lying in bed or on the living room
couch covered by a granny square Afghan. I heard Mom speak fondly of
her and relate many stories about her youth and growing up. |
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 Eva
(Berns) McCarthy - I enjoyed going to Grandma and Grandpa's
since there was always something going on like a card game or 2
or 3 cousins. Enjoyed when they had their birthdays since
everyone came home for these special occasions. I also liked
talking to Grandpa about the Tigers who he always had on the
radio.
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 Linda
(Berns) Miller - ...remember hearing Tiger games and country
music and Grandma stating that she didn't like the lyrics as all
they said was "I love you, You break my heart!". Grandma seemed
to have a real sense of humor as the living room would break out
in laughter often. |
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 Mary
Lou (Heiden) Opfermann - Grandma always had two canaries
in a cage in the sun room. I remember her feeding and taking
care of them and the beautiful sounds they made. She would
listen every day to her soap operas on the radio including, Days
of Our Lives, Porsha Faces Life and Ma Perkins.
Memories come and go and I'm sure
more will come to me later but Grandpa and Grandma both are very
vivid in my mind. When I allow myself to think back, I can still
smell Grandma's bread and Grandpa's corn cob pipe.
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 Dianne
(Heiden) Houpt - I
can still smell the aroma of fresh baked bread from Grandma's
kitchen and the taste of the "Long Johns" pastries she baked.Like my sister Cheryl, I remember
getting the newspaper from the box out by the road for Grandma.
She would sit on the front porch waiting for it so she could
read it first!
I don't know if you want to know this, but when I was quite
young, Grandma came over to our side of the house and was
standing in the living room talking. All of a sudden, her
bloomers fell to the floor. Well, of course, my brother Dick and
I started laughing and pretty soon Grandma started laughing too
and couldn't stop for quite a while. |
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 Cheryl
(Heiden) Stevens - When I was about 7 (1960), we moved in with
Grandma and Grandpa on the west side of the house. I remember
getting the newspaper for Grandma and she would give me a "swat"
with it if I didn't move quickly enough! She always had these
orange and lemon sliced candies in the drawer of a chest in the
living room. |
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 Carol
(Heiden) Toburen - Until
I was 13 years old (1951), we lived on the other side of the
house from Grandma and Grandpa. I have lots of good memories.
Grandma always seemed like the one in charge; Grandpa was more
mellow and easy going.
To this day I really enjoy baking
and cooking. Watching Grandma and also helping her really taught
me a lot, especially about baking. On Saturday, all of us kids
would wait for her to tell us to come in and help ourselves to
sweet rolls. To this day I have never found any that taste quite
as good as hers did. Her pies and breads were heavenly.
Maybe it is a good thing that I
never could duplicate some of her recipes. I would probably
weigh twice as much as I do now. Kelly (my daughter) will ask me
for a certain recipe and all I can give her is the approximate
amounts that Grandma told me. My daughter-in-law, Deanne, loves
Cherry Soup. This was one of Grandma's recipes.
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 Marie
(Heiden) Tommelein - Grandma
Heiden baked bread three times a week for all of the children to
smell as they arrived home from school. On Saturday's, Grandma
would bake doughnuts, pies and cakes to be followed by Grandpa
butchering several chickens for Sunday dinner. |
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 William
"Bill" Tommelein - Grandpa
was 72 when I was born and Grandma was in her late 60's. The
Family Reunions and Christmas Eve parties were fun times when I
was growing up. The Heiden home was a happy place always filled
with relatives and friends. Both grandparents were very caring
people with big hearts. I am very proud to be their grandson.
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 Karen
(Berns) Wheaton - I don't remember ever having much
interaction with them. I admired them from "afar". I thought
Grandma was so pretty and ladylike. |
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