Jessica Heine

Jessica (Jessie) Lynne Heine passed over to the loving arms of her father (David Heine) and her four grandparents (Marie and Russ Haugen and Anna Mae and John Heine) and other extended family members who preceded her in death on October 28, 2017.

Jessie was a May baby, born on the second of the month in 1973. Jessie's birth was eagerly awaited by her elder sister, Nita, who was excited to have a little sister to play with and show how things were done. Nita was a protective and conscientious big sister and she and Jessie were very close. They were so close, in fact, that they gave birth to their first children, both boys (Josh and Derek), in the same hospital, a day apart!

Jessie was a happy, outgoing, active little girl with a mass of curly, strawberry blond hair. That long, glorious, copper-colored hair was the envy of all Jessie's female relatives as she got older. No family gathering was complete without Jessie's aunt, Karen, reaching out caress Jessie's tresses and exclaiming, "Jessie, you got the best hair in the family!" At which point, Jessie would let loose with a loud snort and an embarrassed laugh. When Jessie's younger sister, Becky, was born, Jessie, who was seven years older, spent hours playing with her, inventing exciting and wild games and adventures. Jessie took that love of play forward into her life as she grew older. She threw herself wholeheartedly into every adventure that came her way, including helping her mother, Beverly, tear apart and renovate apartments in a complex in Le Center, Minnesota. Jessie loved the heavy cleaning and the process of bringing order and cleanliness and beauty to a run-down site. Jessie lived in the complex and got so good at boiler maintenance that she never bothered to call a boiler mechanic when the boiler acted up in the middle of the night. She'd put on her bathrobe and puffy slippers and head down to the boiler room and get things back on track. Her mom said, "We were a good team. We went through every one of those apartments and Jessie learned about wiring, cabinetry, sheet-rocking and pretty much everything else that goes into building a house." Over time, Jessie bought a house in Warsaw and had two other sons, Brendon (22) who will be marrying Elyse in January, 2018 and Jonathan (17) who is in high school. Jessie graduated from Faribault Senior High School and went on to study for and attain a Certified Nursing Assistant qualification. She worked in nursing homes throughout the Faribault area and deeply loved caring for the elderly people in her charge. Jessie would come home from work with hilarious stories of the situations she encountered. She had a gift for comedic storytelling and she told the stories from the nursing homes with both humor and compassion.

Jessie tried her best to stay grounded and manage the twin challenges of mental health issues and chemical dependency. Although she dealt with the strain of these challenges throughout her adult life, she never indulged in self-pity or victimhood. Jessie's family will remember and cherish those periods in her life when she was able to maintain her balance and relax into a calm and productive life.

Jessie is survived by her mother, Beverly Haugen, Faribault, Minnesota, three sons, Joshua Heine and wife Ashley, Faribault, Minnesota, Brendan Heine and fiancée Elyse, New Brighton, Minnesota and Jonathan Masich, Faribault, Minnesota, two grandchildren, Madisyn and Oliver Heine, Faribault, Minnesota, three siblings, Joseph Dorsey and wife Caroline, New Richmond. Wisconsin, Anita Heine, Faribault, Minnesota, and Rebecca Steinbauer and husband Jon, Faribault, Minnesota, and many aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews, and friends. Jessie is also survived by her beloved cats, Steve, Piglet and Petunia.

Services will be held at Parker Kohl Funeral Home 1725 Lyndale Ave N. Faribault, on Saturday November 4, 2017 at 3:00 p.m.

Visitation will be held on Saturday from 1:00-3:00 p.m. at the funeral home.