Franklin J. Heim Jr., US Army First Sergeant, Ret., of Mullica Hill passed away on Friday, March 11, 2022 at the age of 87 surrounded by his family and friends. He was born in McKeansburg, Pennsylvania in 1934 to his beloved father and mother, Franklin and Helen Heim (nee Frantz). The oldest brother of three children, he was known to be the jokester of the family and always quietly looked after his brother and sister even if it meant tying his sister loosely to a tree on occasion to keep her from getting in trouble.
Frank was proud of his time in the Army Airborne and would sometimes joke that he would be a bit taller if not for the jumps. He remained involved with the service long after his retirement as treasurer to the 1st Regiment Infantry of Pennsylvania. Service came naturally to Frank as he was also a proud and active member of the Lions Club as well as a contributor to many service organizations.
He was the father to the late Kristopher Heim, whom he loved and raised into a beautiful soul who appreciated music and the people around him.
He found the love of his life in Marjorie Heim whom he was married to for 33 years and preceded his death in 2014. He missed her every day after her passing, reminding those around him how lucky he was to have found her.
He loved his friends and family. Always sharing cookies, t-shirts, or whatever item he was able to secure as part of a “good deal”, including memberships to the various institutions in the region.
He was a financial whiz kid at heart, who loved the market, but warned anyone he knew to be careful so they would not get “kissed”. Frank spent over 25 years at PNC Bank eventually becoming the Vice President of the Estates and Trusts division. His long-time secretary and best friend Maryann was always by his side and remained a significant part of his life up until his passing. Maryann along with his other 3 angels; Patti, Doris, and Caroline, looked after Frank. He would always say how lucky he was to have these people in his life and appreciated the time and care they provided him.
His resilience to fight and overcome obstacles that would defeat many people was almost a favorite past time for Frank. No matter the setback or the odds he would approach it with positive determination. If you knew him, you knew not to count him out… and he did this until the very end … until he decided to fight no longer.
His family and friends will miss him dearly. Brother of the late Lt. Col. Craig Heim; brother-in-law of the late Bernadette Heim; Frank is survived by his loving sister Cheryl Perno (Anthony) and was the dear step-father of Denise Madeline (Richard) and Cindy Gergely (George). Adoring uncle of Debbie, Victoria, Judy, Chris, Anthony III (Jennifer), Cherie (Joe), and Jonathan (Maureen). Frank will also be missed by loving grandchildren, great nieces and nephews, and many friends; especially his dear friends Patty, Maryann, Mike and Joe.
Relatives and friends are invited to his viewing on Friday, March 25th from 10-11 AM at the Gaskill-Brown Funeral Home, 33 West Maple Ave, Merchantville. Funeral service will follow at 11 am. Interment and military honors in Arlington National Cemetery will occur at a later date. In lieu of flowers, his family requests contributions in his memory to be made to the University of Pennsylvania, Abramson Cancer Center (www.pennmedicine.org/cancer/giving)
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