Jean Dyck Heepke

Jean Dyck Heepke, 98, of New Orleans, passed away on Friday, August 22, 2025. She was raised on a beautiful farm in Canada by her parents, David and Helena Dyck, as the youngest of nine children. The Dyck family enjoyed activities such as riding horses, skating on their own ice rink, and playing ball in the pastures. Christmas celebrations were always grand, with the house filled with six boys and four girls.

Mrs. Heepke, who was adopted, was proud to help with the successful family farm and share the workload with her siblings. Her childhood was filled with joy, and she fondly remembers her mother always dressing her in red.

She graduated from nursing school and passed the State Board Exam in 1948 at the age of 20. Her nursing career began in the Emergency Room, followed by a decade in the Operating Room. Throughout her distinguished career, she held various positions, including head nurse on a medical-surgical floor and Night Supervisor at Deaconess Hospital in Cincinnati for three years. She also served as Head Nurse of the Operating Room for eight years before retiring at the age of 76. Mrs. Heepke felt incredibly blessed to have had a fulfilling career in nursing, allowing her to serve others.

Outside of work and raising her children, she enjoyed playing golf, bridge, and reading. Golf was her great passion, and she played competitively as a member of the Colonial Country Club. She loved traveling and attending church, cherishing the friendships she made throughout her life above all else.

Mrs. Heepke was preceded in death by her parents, Mr. and Mrs. David Dyck; her husband and life partner, Richard A. Heepke, Sr., who passed away in 1996; and her siblings, Ernest (Marie), Alfred (Ann), Walter (Effie), Clifford (Agnes), Abram (Margie), Elise (Aaron), Roby (Dane), and Rose (Mark).

She is survived by her sons, Michael L. Heepke and Richard A. Heepke, Jr. (Joan), along with many nieces and nephews.

Friends and relatives are invited to attend visitation on Friday, September 26, 2025, from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm at Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home. A memorial service will follow in the chapel, and interment will take place in Lake Lawn Park.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Shriner’s Hospital for Children, or the Louisiana Methodist Children’s Home.