Joyce Marie Heintz, a lifetime Prosser resident, passed away peacefully on March 22, 2024 at the age of 92.
She was born on February 25, 1932 in Prosser, Washington to James and Mildred (Hall) Wilson where she and her sister, June, were raised and educated. As a teen she worked for the Princess Theatre in Prosser where she met the love of her life, Anton “Tony” Heintz upon his return home from military service in Japan. They were married on October 22,1949 and settled in Prosser to raise their family. They were married for 69 years.
Joyce and Tony owned and operated many businesses throughout their married life including ARH Distributors, Inc, the Town Pump Service station, a family farm in North Prosser and more. Joyce worked side-by-side with Tony including keeping the books for all the businesses.
Being a mother of seven children kept her busy with all their activities in sports, clubs and school activities that she and Tony encouraged them to join. She enjoyed reading, puzzles, bowling, designing remodeling projects for her home and was an avid gardener. She will be remembered for her amazing memory and willingness to always be there for each one of her children. Her and Tony’s work ethic taught all their children the value of family, education, earning your way through life with hard work while taking time to smell the roses and admire the views around you.
After retiring, Tony and Joyce took a few years to follow their love of adventure and travel across the United States and Canada in their RV before turning into snowbirds by wintering in Arizona, coming home to Prosser to enjoy the rest of the seasons with their family.
Joyce is survived by her six children, Tonia Graham (Scott) of Pasco, Jodi Obradovich (Tony) of Tigard, OR, Trudi Haynes (Jim) of Peoria, AZ, Jeff Heintz (Tina) of Richland, Tom Heintz of Prosser and Jill Koenig (John) of Prosser; thirteen grandchildren, Logan, Taylor, Nick, Clare, Bekah, Jamie, Tyler, Samantha, Thane, Kyle, Jordan, Ryan and Shelley; fourteen great-grandchildren, Lucy, Luke, Lily, Graham, Josephine, Anthony, Kendralyn, Keagan, Kaysen, Kye, Kylee, Kason, Kian, Ryder, and Kason with two more on the way. She was preceded in death by her husband, Anton "Tony" Heintz, son, Thad Heintz, parents Jim and Mildred Wilson, sister, June Flory and brother, Jackie Wilson.
Graveside services will be held on Friday, June 14th, 2024 at 11:00AM at Prosser Cemetery with a Celebration of Life to follow at the Prosser Catholic Church Hall directly after.
The family wishes to extend a heartfelt thank you to all the healthcare professionals and caregivers who cared for Mom at the Tri-Cities Chaplaincy. In lieu of flowers, the family would like to request memorial donations to the Tri-Cities Chaplaincy. You may leave a message for the family at www.Prosserfuneral home.com