Ervin Heidebrecht

Ervin Heidebrecht went to be with his Lord and Saviour on Thursday, April 18, 2013 in Sand Springs, Oklahoma at the age of 92 years, two months and twenty eight days. Heide was born January 21, 1921, in Norheim, Montana. He was the son of Daniel C. and Katherine (Janzen) Heidebrecht. Heide grew up in the small community of Chinook, Montana one mile south of the Canadian border. Heide began his education in Chinook and at the age of 12, he learned how to drive in a 1921 Model T. During his junior high time Heide moved with his parents to Oklahoma to Corn where he later graduated high school. Following graduation Heide worked in the fields of Oklahoma as a farmer and later moved to Ingalls, Kansas. He returned to the attend school at Southwestern State in Weatherford for two years before being drafted to serve his country in the United States Army. On December 8, 1942, he was inducted into the United States Army. He began his basic training at Camp Joseph T. Robinson just north of Little Rock, Arkansas. Heide remained in Arkansas training recruits until September of 1943, when he was transferred to the 34th General Hospital Unit in Spadra, California until April of 1944. He then boarded a train from Pomona to Atlantic City, New Jersey where he then boarded a troop transport ship on June 16, 1944. The ship then left New York City and landed at Liverpool England. He was then permanently located to Stockbridge England at the 34th General Hospital. On August 6th Heide returned home from Glasgow, Scotland upon the Queen Elizabeth and arrived at New York City on August the 11th. Heide was then transferred to Camp Siebert in Alabama for six weeks before going to Atlanta, Georgia where he worked at the machine records branch unit processing discharges. Upon his own discharge on February 6, 1946, he returned to Corn, Oklahoma After he returned he was asked by a local doctor family to be their personal driver for a trip to California. Following several months they returned and he joined the wheat harvest. Heide also applied for two other jobs one as a bus driver and the other for the Oklahoma Highway Patrol Academy. Heide was accepted into Oklahoma Highway Patrol Training in Jul 6, 1946 and was the 7th academy. His assignment was started at Oklahoma City at the National Guard Building. He completed training August 15th and his initial assignment was the Western half of Oklahoma County for two months before being transferred to Norman, Oklahoma. Three months later he was moved to Chandler, Oklahoma before returning to Oklahoma City. In August of 1947, Heide patrolled the areas of Altus, Oklahoma. On January 10, 1948, Heide was united in marriage to Roberta Jacqueline Gilchrist. The couple made their home in Altus until 1958, when he and Jackie with their family moved to Cleveland, Oklahoma. He patrolled the areas of Pawnee County until his retirement in 1968 when the State of Oklahoma retired Trooper Ervin Heidebrechtís badge number 132. Following his retirement from OHP, Heide accepted employment with Farm Bureau as the Assistant Safety Director of Oklahoma. His duties took him to all parts of state giving seminars and lectures on safety. Heide retired from his position with Farm Bureau in January of 1985. Heide had a love for being outdoors. He spent many hours working in his garden and one of his specialty crops was his Henry Fields Illini Chief extra sweet corn. Heide loved birds and kept the bird feeders full and had numerous Purple Martin birdhouses by his garden for help with the mosquitoes. His children and grandchildren enjoyed the apple fritters he cooked for breakfast and the homemade ice cream he lovingly made for many years with a hand cranked ice cream machine. Other hobbies were traveling, camping and photography. Heide loved to plan yearly camping vacations for the family the places he took his family to were the Smoky Mountains, Rocky Mountains, Florida and most memorably was the whirlwind trip one summer that covered 10 states in 12 days in his 1957, Chevy station wagon. On that trip they visited Mount Rushmore, Glacier National Park, Yellowstone National Park and his family homestead in Montana. The most often repeated camping trip was to Roaring River, Missouri until Jackie and his kids begged him not to take them there again. Upon entering each state, Heide would make the kids get out standing by the sign announcing the entry of a state and have thier picture made by the sign. After the grandchildren were born, Heide and Jackie took Donica and Jeremiah, and later John and Lindsey, aboard a train ride in Arkansas. Most recently, Heideís travels took him in September of 2012, on the Honor Flight from Tulsa to Washington, DC to view the World War II Memorial. In February of 2013, his son-in-law Jim traveled with him to Hawaii to visit Pearl Harbor. Heide also enjoyed a recent trip to the Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City with two of his many favorite ladies from Green Tree Assisted Living, Cathy and Denise. Even though Heide was a well-traveled man throughout the highways of Oklahoma as well as many other places; Heide loved his Lord and Saviour and was a longtime member of the First Baptist Church as well as Deacon Emeritus. Survivors are his three daughters Linda Kathyrn Klepper of Bixby, Oklahoma, Cecelia Ann Hunter and her husband Jim of Sand Springs, Oklahoma, Karen Sue Gentry and her husband Robert of Ft. Smith, Arkansas; one brother Robert Heidebrecht of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; four sisters Evelyn Heidebrecht of Yeaddiss, Kentucky, Erna Heidebrecht of Amarillo, Texas, Norma Carolyn of Puyallup, Washington; Marilyn Beuchaw of Edmond, Oklahoma; four grandchildren Donica Leigh Webb and her husband Joey of Sand Springs, Oklahoma, Major Jeremiah Shi Gentry and his wife Jamy of Ft. Smith, Arkansas, Dr. John Daniel Gentry and his wife Meagan of Charleston, South Carolina, Lindsey Ann Hunter of Cancun, Mexico; great grandchildren Jermaine Bransford-Webb, Jameson Gentry, Josianne Gentry, Easton Webb, Casen Webb, Jacob Gentry and a host of other relatives and friends that will mourn his passing. He was preceded in death by his father Daniel C. Heidebrecht, mother Katherine Heidebrecht, and loving wife Jackie Heidebrecht. Church Services will be held 10:00 am Monday, April 22, 2013, at the First Baptist Church with Chaplain Sam Garner officiating. Burial will follow in the Woodland Cemetery with honors provided by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol Honor Guard under the direction of Chapman-Black Funeral Home. Honorary Pallbearers will include Joe Baker,Ryan Griffith, Gene Byers, Tom Hamilton, Buddy Fernandez, Gene Nix, Gary Ormston & Craig Ellis