John Heller Obituary, Death – John Lee Heller Sr., who was 86 years old and from Buchanan, Indiana, died at the Memorial Hospital of South Bend on May 1, 2022. On January 19, 1936, John Heller Allen was born to William Heller and Catherine (Davis) Allen in the city of Mishawaka, Indiana. During his childhood, when he was growing up with his mother, stepfather (Doyt Allen), and three siblings, John put a lot of emphasis on how important family was. Soon after he graduated from high school, on March 19, 1955, he was lucky enough to marry Dorothy Teeter, the woman he would spend the rest of his life with. South Bend was the location of the wedding.
Six children were born from their marriage, giving him nine grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild. Soon, the ninth great-grandchild will be born. John loved every single member of his family very much, and he made it his life’s work to make sure they all knew it. John was a guy who liked to compete, which meant he hated to lose and didn’t want anyone close to him to ever feel that way. He made it a point to go to all of his children’s and grandchildren’s sporting events because he loved watching them compete. John, on the other hand, did not take defeat lightly. He was a good shooter who took part in competitions and could hit his target with a wide variety of guns.
Because he wanted to be the best, it wasn’t a big surprise that he won most of the competitions he entered. When John didn’t come out on top of the scoreboard in a competition, which happened very rarely, he would make the changes he needed to make to make sure he would win the next competition. At the end of the day, John was passionate about everything he did, no matter how big or small it was. Some people might have called him a perfectionist, and others might have said he was a bit stubborn. His job as a tool and die maker gave him a lot of respect in the business world. His favorite things to do were shoot at targets and work with guns. He became well-known and a master gunsmith who was in high demand.
The man was very good at taking things apart and putting them back together again. His work with his lathe has helped a lot of people over the years because he was able to make parts that were either very rare or didn’t exist anymore. Because he had a magnetic personality, he was able to connect with everyone he met. He never met a stranger. He liked to go fishing, he liked to collect old cars, and he was very proud of how his yard looked. John was one of a kind, and his family, friends, and anyone else who knew him will miss him a lot. William Heller Allen and Catherine (Davis) Allen, Doyt Allen, John’s stepfather, and Bob Allen, John’s brother, all died before John did. John was the fourth and last child.
He is survived by his loving wife, Dorothy (Teeter) Heller; all six of his children, John (Susan) Heller, Steven Heller, Susan Korzinek, Linda (Mike) Beard, Karen Lukkarila, and Lisa Stidham; two siblings, Cindy Boots and Doyt Allen; and nine grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild. He also has nine grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren who will miss him.
On Friday, May 6, 2022, the Heller family will hold a public visitation from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Brown Funeral Home & Cremation Services. After the visitation, the burial service will be held at Oakridge Cemetery in Buchanan. After the burial, there will be a gathering at the Bertrand Township Hall in Buchanan from 2 to 7 in honor of the person who died.