James Edward Joseph Heying, son of Paul and Anna (Full) Heying was born March 3, 1932 at the family farm near Hamill, SD. Jim attended elementary school at King School and graduated from Winner High School in 1950. He enlisted in the Army and was stationed at the Fort Leonard Wood where he married Veronica Jessie Lulf on March 14, 1953. The couple resided in Texas until Jim was discharged from military duty in October of 1954. The couple returned to the Heying family farm near Hamill to farm with Jim’s brother Bob. In 1972 they moved to Mitchell where Jim was employed at Ellefson Implement and Dakota Manufacturing until taking a position with Mitchell Vocational Institute as the Welding Dept. instructor until his retirement in 1996. Jim was a member of Holy Family Catholic Church. His early retirement years were filled with hunting, fishing walleye on the Missouri River, woodworking, playing guitar, and drinking coffee with friends at Coborns. Later, as his failing health kept him more inside, he spent hours reading books during his breathing treatments and watching old westerns on television. Though unable to walk fields, Jim never missed opening pheasant season on the farm by showing up the young ones during blue rock target practice.
A very special friend, Carol Callan, was one of the motivators in Jim’s recovery from months in the hospital with pneumonia. His concern for Carol and desire to return home brought him back to us for another four years.
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