Yvonne Heinekamp

Yvonne Sue Heinekamp, a vivacious and spiritual woman whose love of nature and tennis was rivaled only by her devotion to others, died February 2, 2015. She was 79.

Vonnie's affability and compassion were evident in her involvement in the Brevard, North Carolina, community, where she was an active member of St. Philip's Episcopal Church, a weekly volunteer with Meals on Wheels Association of America, and taught meditation and self-empowerment classes. Her sensitivity and warmth, as well as courage, strength, and determination, were expressed especially as a mother who worked tirelessly to nurture six children.

Vonnie pursued with as much energy the search for meaning, reflected in her dual interest in philosophy and nature that was embodied in her fondness of the American Transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau as well as in her affection for Native American culture. Among the contemporary books that moved her most was Trail of Tears: The Rise and Fall of the Cherokee Nation.

She was most at peace immersed in a sense of wonder about the natural world, whether on long hikes in the mountains and forests of North Carolina, in a hot air balloon above the plains of Africa, or sailing off the coast of South Florida aboard a small catamaran. Her serenity ended on the tennis court, where she was a fierce competitor who even in her 70s was often the lone woman among three men playing a doubles match. She rarely missed a televised Grand Slam tournament and twice attended the US Open.

"Vonnie was a bright and beautiful lady, inside and out, full of a huge love of life in all its aspects," said Judson Hipps, her beloved companion for the past 9 years. "Filled with spirit and fire, up for everything, she was a positive factor to each situation in which she found herself. She had compassion for her fellow man, respect for her Maker, and admiration for His creation."

The second youngest of seven daughters of Rene and Mary Angela Girard, Vonnie was born in Toledo, Ohio, where she attended Blessed Sacrament Elementary School and Central Catholic High School, married John Selz, and raised three daughters and three sons. She moved in 1977 to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where she helped her second husband, the late James Heinekamp, lead the local Unity church. For the past 20 years, she resided in Brevard, North Carolina.

She was preceeded in death by her sisters Dorothy Hasemeyer, Mary Lou McCormick, and Anita Lanzinger. She is survived by her six children, Pamela Dirr and husband, Ray of El Sobrante, California, Jane Lee Schuett, and husband Scott, of Waynesville, North Carolina, Michael Selz and his wife, Amy of New York City, Maxwell Selz and his wife, Dagmar, of Bad Kreuznach, Germany, Andrew Selz of Union City, California, Heidi Roussis, and husband Steve, of Westbury, New York, 11 grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, and three sisters, Carolyn Loeffler-Johnson, Jane Marion and Suzanne Dietsch.

Her "Celebration of Life Service" will be held at St. Philip's Episcopal Church in Brevard on Saturday, February 28th at 10:00 a.m. with a fellowship reception following with Rev. Rob Field officiating.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Sharing House Transylvania Christian Ministry, P O Box 958,Brevard, NC 28712 and/or Meals on Wheels Association of America in Brevard, 431 E Main St, Brevard, NC 28712.
To leave a condolence for the Heinekamp family, please visit "obituaries" at www.moore-fh.com .

Moore Funeral Home & Cremation Services is serving the family.