Tim Heinicke, RIP

Tim Heinicke died in Las Vegas, Nevada, on May 7, 2008. Here is his obituary:

Timothy Brian Heinicke was born on November 29, 1950, in Tokyo, Japan to Gerhard and Eleanor (Kolterman) Heinicke. Tim lived in Las Vegas, Nevada were he was a elementary teacher in special education.

He graduated from Concordia Teachers College and received his Masters from Wichita State University.

Tim passed away in Las Vegas on May 7, 2008, at the age of 57 years. He is survived by his mother, Eleanor Heinicke of Seward, Nebraska; brothers and their wives, Gary and Nancy Heinicke of Lincoln, Nebraska and Ronald and his wife Patricia Heinicke of Olathe, Kansas. Tim was preceded in death by his father, Gerhard Heinicke.

Below are some excerpts from his resume, which apparently was written some time after 1998:

My training in the field of education began in 1964, attending high school at Concordia High School in Seward, Nebraska. It is a private preparatory school for potential teachers. I also attended Concordia Teachers College in Seward, Nebraska, which was exclusively established to train professionals in the field of education. In 1979, I earned a Master in Education degree with emphasis in Educational Psychology, at Wichita State University. Post-graduate studies at Northern Arizonia University in Educational Administration were acquired in pursuit of a position in Educational Administration.

After receiving a B.S. degree in education from Concordia Teachers College, I began teaching seventh and eighth grade students in a private school in Wichita, Kansas. Two years later, I gained employment as a sixth, seventh, and eighth grade teacher in a rural Kansas public school. I served in this position for three years and then became employed in the Wichita Public Schools. I taught a combination - fifth and six grade for nine years in this school system. While there, I was nominated as the outstanding educator by the P.T.A., and received special recognition by being selected by the Wichita Eagle/Beacon with monthly articles concerning my class-room techniques and procedures.

In 1984 I moved to Tempe, Arizonia and began teaching a fourth grade class. I was assigned a sixth grade class and did extensive planning for the "Outdoor Education Program" while at Starlight Park Elementary School in Phoenix, Arizonia. I was selected as Assistant Principal in the Cartwright School District in Phoenix and served in this capacity for four years.

I am currently residing in Santa Teresa, New Mexico and am Assistant Principal of Santa Teresa Middle School. This is my third year in this position. Our student population is mainly Hispanic with a strong Hispanic heritage. The opportunity to work with this unique population has enriched my understanding in working with people of another culture. I feel quite proud of the fact that this year I was awarded the "Assistant Principal of the Year" award in the state of New Mexico.

During the 1997-98 school year, I was awarded the "Assistant Principal of the Year" for New Mexico. This honor is awarded by the National Association of Secondary School Principals and the McDonald's Corporation.

Tim was a year or two (probably two) ahead of me in school, but I remember him from two activities, in both of which he constantly displayed his hilarious sense of humor.

I remember him from the high-school football and wrestling teams. He was the heavy-weight member of our wrestling team. Maybe he was even our team captain. I was the light-weight member of our team, so we never wrestled against each other.

And I remember him as a fellow worker in the campus cafeteria. There, where he did not have to worry about any coaches' control, his prankster humor was displayed constantly. My brother Steve remembers that I often came home from that job and told funny stories about Tim Heinicke's antics.