Eileen Heinz

Eileen "Nanny" Heinz, of Dunlap, Illinois, passed away peacefully at her home on August 27, 2017. She was born to Reginald and Bertha Nader Blackmore on September 22, 1922, in Kickapoo, Illinois. Eileen attended St. Mary's school in Kickapoo, graduated from Dunlap High School, and attended Brown's Business College in Peoria, Illinois. Eileen married James L. Heinz on April 11, 1942, at Scott Air Force Base in Belleville, Illinois. He preceded her on July 27,1968. She was also predeceased by her son, Steven Heinz on October 22nd, 1988, her daughter, Sue Cornish on April 20th, 2015, all of her sisters, Etta, Lou and Mary - and many of her dear old friends, particularly, Ginny and Tully. She had a long and interesting life. During the war she worked at a bomber plant where her husband was stationed in Michigan. Eileen spent a lot of time moving around during the 5 1/2 years her husband was in the military. She later worked for her brother-in-law, Richard Estep, at the Labor Temple News as a bookkeeper. After the death of her husband she worked at St. Francis Hospital as an Anesthesia Tech for over 30 years - retiring at the age of 78. After her retirement, she had a lot more time to go to the "boat" - which, needless to say, was tremendous fun for her. Being plagued by macular degeneration she could no longer drive - so, her family taught her how to ride the bus to the boat. She thanked us many times for giving her that little bit of independence - and, she had a lot of fun spending our inheritance. Surviving are her daughter and son-in-law, Linda and Ken Lusk, her son-in-law, Phil Cornish, 9 grandchildren - Tracey Cornish-Harries, Simon Harries, Dr. Toby Cornish (Andrea Brown), Kenny & Chris Lusk, Gary & Debbie Lusk, Brenda Lusk, and Sherry Lusk, along with a number of nieces and nephews. And, of course, the grand dogs - Opie and Daisy Mae. Late last year Dan, John & Terri (Estep kids) made a trip to Illinois to see her while she was still on this side of heaven - that truly made her happy. A special thank you to her caregivers - Harriet, Kathy, Linda Lou and Amber. Without their wonderful help and caring attitudes it would never have been possible for her to stay home - and fulfill Susie's wishes of keeping her at home. At the request of Eileen, cremation rites have been accorded. There will be a memorial mass for Eileen at St. Mary's in Kickapoo on, what would have been her 95th birthday, September 22, 2017, at 10:30 A.M. In lieu of flowers, memorials contributions may be made to SAMS Rescue, 328 S. Pinkerton Rd., Hanna City, IL 61536. To share memories and condolences with the family, visit www.peoriafuneral.com.