Fay Ruth Heller

WAUWATOSA - (nee Cowden) February 9, 1929 – August 4, 2023

Fay passed away peacefully on Friday, August 4, 2023, at the age of 94. She was a beloved family member, survived by her stepdaughter JoAnn Richards; nieces Patricia Lee Hawthorne (nee Cowden), Ellen Marcel (nee Cowden); nephew John Cowden; cousins Joyce and Jean Waldorf, Patricia Ratzlaff (nee Miethke), Susan Elsen (nee Miethke), Alexandra Ratzlaff, Matthew Elsen, and Mark Elsen. Also dearly loved and remembered by many friends and family.

Fay led a vibrant life filled with a love for learning, travel, and helping others. Born in Bay View where she attended UCC Christ Church, Fay would go on to graduate from UWM in 1950 with BA, AB, and BS degrees in Special Education, taking her first teaching job in Kenosha. She began a life of extensive travel with a position in California, followed by service in the US Air Force establishing Special Education schools at military bases in Germany, France, Japan, and North Africa. Upon her return to Wisconsin she began teaching at Juneau High School where she met and married Gunther Heller. She spent the last 17 years of her career teaching at Brookfield Central High School, during which time she earned her MA from UWM also in Special Education. Her life-long interests included reading, archaeology, stamp-collecting, weaving, traveling, art, and music. Fay and Gunther would spend their summers traveling around the world together (twice) exploring their many shared interests. Fay served as President of the Milwaukee Philatelic Club and Council for Exceptional Children, as well as being an active member (with Gunther) in the Milwaukee Department of Aging and other organizations.

Memorial Service will be held Saturday, August 26th at the Guardian Angel Chapel in the East Residence at San Camillus (10200 W Bluemound Road, Wauwatosa, WI) from 1:30 – 4:00 pm, with a celebration of life at 2:15 pm.

Memorials appreciated to the charity of your choice with preferences to the Salvation Army, the Veterans Honor Flight, and Milwaukee Art Museum.