David Allen Heitmiller of Ballard (Seattle, WA) passed away Friday, July 10 at the age of 74 following a recent diagnosis of leukemia.
David was born in 1945 in San Pedro, CA to Dorothy (Birch) and Robert D. Heitmiller. The family settled in Steilacoom, WA where David grew up and attended Steilacoom schools and was part of the first graduating class from Lakes High School, class of 1964. He graduated in 1969 from the University of Washington, where he met and married his first wife, Carole (Crippen). Together they had one daughter, Kimberly, who David continued raising alone with the support of his family after Carole’s sudden death in 1983. However, in 1986 David married a new love, Jacque Blix. They would have celebrated 34 years of marriage this July. David is survived by wife Jacque, daughter Kimberly and her husband Felipe, step-son Dan Doherty and his wife Michelle, grandchildren Erik, Marisol, and Danny, sisters Terrie Colón and Heidi Winter, and nieces, nephews, and cousins.
As a child David learned from his parents to help others and to give back to his community. It was very important to him to make a positive difference in the world, and throughout his life he achieved this in many ways. A Boy Scout as a child, he was Cub Scout troop leader before he became a parent. Over the years he was a member of the Lions Club, Big Brother in the Big Brothers program, Habitat for Humanity volunteer, associate minister and handyman at the Seattle Interfaith Sanctuary, host to international students. He took up cycling at 40 and became an avid road cyclist, riding 60-100 miles at a time with his cycling friends until this last year at 73, usually enjoying a beer with them after the ride. He became involved in Voluntary Simplicity in 1991, left corporate life and the telephone company at age 48 to dedicate himself to truly living, and in 1997 co-authored a book on simple living and financial independence with his wife Jacque Blix. He was known by many as someone who could help fix something, install something, or build something. He formed and maintained hundreds of friendships, and connected or reconnected with extended family from all over the country and world. Over the years he took up the harmonica, saxophone, yoga, meditation, and most of all poetry: he kept a weekly poetry blog (thebicyclingpoet.blogspot.com) and had a poem published in the San Diego Poetry Annual Anthology (2020.) All of David’s activities reflected his deep love for life, for his family, his friends, and the world at large. It was his hope to leave the world a better place.
Services will be scheduled after the COVID-19 global pandemic. Donations in David’s name may be made to the Cancer Care Alliance of Seattle.