John Lewis Heiman Sr.'s Obituary
HEIMAN, SR., JOHN LEWIS who built the first Whataburger Restaurant in Dallas County in 1969 passed away on Thanksgiving Day, November, 28, 2013 at the age of ninety, following a life devoted to his family, church, and friends. Mr. Heiman leaves behind his wife of 64 years, Joyce, his sister Irene, his two children- Jacque Heiman Kirk and Johnny Heiman, four grandchildren- Josh, Meredith, Zak and Liz, and five great grand children- Cheyenne, Gracie, Lucas, Kylie, and Maya. Born September, 18, 1923 in a small house in Garwood, Texas, he worked with his dad on the family ranch before he attended the University of Texas at age 16. There he studied Transportation while setting records playing intramural basketball and presiding over his fraternity. After his Navy duty and while serving as Principal and Coach in Columbus, Texas, he met and married one of his teachers, Joyce Ann Love of Temple, Texas. After nearly twenty years with the Santa Fe Railway as a freight analyst, Mr. Heiman scraped, sold and borrowed everything he could to become a franchisee of Whataburger, Inc. His original commitment had become 17 restaurants at the time of his death, making his company the largest franchisee of Whataburger. The company he and Joyce founded is now moving into the third generation of leadership, with 600 employees. Whataburger was his passion for the past 45 years. He often joked he “bled orange”. The owners and fellow franchisees alike honored him numerous times as an “Icon” of the business. His generosity extended to helping many new people get their start with Whataburger. He was most recently honored as “Franchisee of the Year” for 2010. The Heimans loved to travel with friends and photographed the far ends of the earth, as well as visiting every state in America. Sailing was their preferred means of travel. They also supported and participated in Missionary trips throughout the world. The family joined Shiloh Terrace Baptist Church in 1965 after moving to Dallas from St. Louis with the Santa Fe. He was a Deacon and former Adult Sunday School Director. He is a past President of the White Rock Rotary Club, and a Paul Harris Fellow. His civic and community contributions are far too numerous to mention. His hobbies included wood carving, golf, coin and stamp collecting, photography, hunting, reading western novels, and sports. He was a fan of everything Orange- at Whataburger, and the University of Texas- and a worthy competitor at all. Many of his favorite evenings were spent around tables playing dominoes with friends. He usually won! Family will receive friends from 2:00-4:00 PM, Sunday, December 1, 2013 at Restland Funeral Home. Services will be held at 1:00 PM, Monday, December 2, 2013 at Shiloh Terrace Baptist Church.
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