He was the son of Ludwig & Alwine (Ziehm)Heigelmann. Wolfgang was born and grew up in Berlin, Germany. He served during WWII in the German Army at the age of 16. After the war ended, he became a baker and then a press operator at a magazine company. That is where he met the woman of his dreams-Gisela Halter. They dated and then eventually got married in Germany. They were sponsored by St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Fairlawn, Ohio in 1957 to come to America.
They were supposed to live in New York. When they arrived in NYC their plans changed very quickly and they were told no openings in New York. They were then asked if they would move to Akron, Ohio. So that is where they went and made their new home- Akron, Ohio. His first job in America was as a painter. Then he got the opportunity to work for General Tire as a tire scheduler. He worked there for 25 years. Then General Tire closed down operations in Akron, and he went to work at Land O’Lakes for the next 10 years. Then he decided to retire. He was 65 years old.
Wolfgang had a love and passion to be outside to work on the flower gardens on their property with Gisela. He loved to go on power walks and swim in his lake for hours with Gisela too. He was a great photographer too. He had a wonderful attention to detail with his beautiful photo collection. He left us over 40 photo albums full of his memories. In their retirement years they loved to travel each winter to St Augustine, Florida so they could walk on the beach and enjoy swimming in the ocean every day. Another passion was German fussball (soccer). He was a really huge fan for this sport. It was so fun to watch him cheer his favorite teams to a victory. He also like watching the Cleveland Browns play too.
Wolfgang was all about family, his children and grandchildren. He cherished every minute he had with them and loved them deeply!
He always maintained his German heritage throughout with entire lifetime. He had a strong German accent and would talk and sing in German his family and friends. He loved to research things. He would always have a dictionary or atlas nearby to get his answer. He was a long time member for The German Family Society of Brimfield. He enjoyed spending time dancing and singing with his lifetime friends. He was also a member of the club’s choir where they would perform at festivals and club parties. He had so many close friends throughout his lifetime and the time they all shared and memories they made were priceless.
Wolfgang is preceded in death by his parents Ludwig & Alwine Heigelmann. His wife of 57 years, Gisela (Halter) Heigelmann. Sons: Volker (Georgia) Heigelmann and Michael (Jean) Heigelmann.
He is survived by his youngest son Norman (Eileen) Heigelmann. Also left to cherish Wolfgang’s memory are his six grandchildren: Ryan (Kaitlyn) Heigelmann, Zachary (Kayla) Heigelmann. Brandon Heigelmann, Matthew Heigelmann, Jennifer (Bernard) Riley, Melissa (Gregory) McRoberts. Also surviving are his seven great grandchildren: Lennon, Connor, Nathan, Leland, Cameron, Aiden, and Alana.
A Celebration of Wolfgang’s Life will be held by the family to cherish all his lifetime memories. Of course, there will be lots German food and music playing there too.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.wood-kortright-borkoski.com
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