Herminie woman loved to nurture others

Nothing made Sara Heckman happier than taking care of someone else.

First, it was her husband, John. Their children tell how the two married young — she as 16, he was 19. Then, there were her five children. Finally, there were her 12 grandchildren and five great grandchildren and the countless people she cared for as a nursing assistant at several nursing homes and on private-duty assignments in homes around the area.

“Family came first. It was the most important thing to her. She was a very caring person. Then, as I got older and she thought she needed to help out, she went to work in a nursing home and found she loved it. She was the head nursing assistant at several homes and trained a lot of people,” Mrs. Heckman’s youngest daughter, Dana Jaffre, recalled.

Sara E. McClelland Heckman of Herminie died Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2020. She was 84.

Mrs. Heckman was born Dec. 20, 1935, in Spraggs, Greene County, a daughter of William and Katherine (Cole) McClelland. Her family moved to the Herminie area when she was a child.

She was a longtime member of Herminie United Methodist Church and attended Mars Hill Baptist Church.

Mrs. Heckman met her husband, John N. Heckman Sr., through a cousin.

The two were married for nearly 60 years when Mr. Heckman passed away on Sept. 11, 2011. He was a steelworker. She was a stay-at-home mom until their five children were grown.

“My parents, they weren’t rich, but they were rich at heart with their family,” Mrs. Heckman’s daughter, Sharon Mukhar, said.

“My mother was a very, very good cook. She taught us all — even her sons — how to cook and take care of a household. Everything a woman did, she taught us as well,” Mrs. Heckman’s son, John, recalled.

The couple kept a camp nearby in Smithton, where they escaped frequently for fishing, hunting and family picnics.

As she grew older, Mrs. Heckman relished the car trips she took with her daughter, Sharon, including visits to casinos and trips to visit family members.

Mrs. Heckman’s concept of family closeness also extended to her sisters.

“They were all very close. There wasn’t a day that went by that they didn’t talk to each other,” said Mrs. Heckman’s daughter, Sue Sawyers. “They were so close that, if one cried, they would all start crying.”

In addition to her husband, Mrs. Heckman was preceded in death by a son, Richard A. Heckman..

She is survived by her children, John N. (Brenda) Heckman Jr. of Greensburg, Sharon Mukhar of Texas, Sue (Edward) Sawyers of Adamsburg, and Dana Jaffre (Dave Schweiger) of Herminie; 12 grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; and sisters, Rose Betzs, Ruth Kirkwood and Jean Russell.

Friends will be received from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday in William Snyder Funeral Home, 521 Main St., Irwin, where a funeral service will follow at 3 p.m., with the Rev. Richard Countryman officiating. Interment will follow in Mars Hill Cemetery.

Memorial contributions may be directed to the family.