The following obituaries appeared in the May 22, 2024 edition of the Star Valley Independent.
For more area obituaries, please visit Schwab Mortuary.
For more resources including headstones, please visit the Star Valley Historical Society.
Robert Heiner
Robert Leonard Heiner, age 63, lost his hard-fought battle with cancer and quietly passed away on Thursday, May 16, 2024, at his home in Thayne, Wyoming, surrounded by his family. Robert was born in Afton, Wyoming, on March 26, 1961, to Morris W. and Florence Kelm Heiner. He has three siblings—an older sister (Suzann), and a younger sister (Mary Ellen) and brother (Rusty).
Robert lived all his youth and most of his adult life in Thayne, Wyoming. He attended Holdaway Elementary School and Afton Junior High and High School, graduating in 1979. Following his graduation, he served a 2-year mission to the South Carolina, Charleston, mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Robert loved the gospel, and he loved sharing it and he did so not only by his teachings but also by the example he set for his family and all those who knew him. He served in many leadership and teaching capacities within the church. He particularly loved teaching the youth and seeing their faces light up with understanding as they grasped gospel principles.
Upon returning from his mission, Robert attended Bridgerland Technical College where he studied diesel and large engine mechanics. For the last 25 years, Robert worked as a mechanic for the Town of Jackson, where he kept the buses, snowplows, and other city vehicles in tiptop shape. Robert was the “head mechanic” for his family. If something was making a strange noise or a light on the dash was blinking, Robert was the “go-to” person to fix it.
Robert married Nicole Clark on April 20, 1984, in the Idaho Falls Idaho Temple. They were married 25 years and had six wonderful children together. Later he married Julie Smith on July 9, 2010, and later were sealed in the Logan Temple. Each summer they rode their Harley on the highways and byways of the western U.S. Robert loved farming and the outdoors and enjoyed camping with his family. These family outings will be greatly missed. In early March of this year, Robert and Julie fulfilled a long-time dream of going to Hawaii and seeing the Polynesian Cultural Center and the Arizona memorial.
Robert is preceded in death by both of his parents and a grandson, Clyde.
He is survived by his wife, Julie Smith Heiner, and his children: Allen (Rebecca), Ashley Muir (Kelly), Tre’ (Olivia), Justis, Kelby (Kimbre), and Charleston Tubbs (Maestin). He was also happy to bring into his family three stepchildren and their families, Crystal Robinson (Chris), Bryan Rindlisbacher (Stacey), and Allyson Campbell (Jacob). Robert is the happy grandfather of 15 grandchildren, 1 great grandchild, and 2 more on the way. Robert leaves behind a legacy that his children and posterity can be proud of. Robert, we will not say goodbye, but merely “goodnight,” for we know that we will see you in the morning when the sun rises on our eternity together as a forever family!
A viewing will be held Wednesday, May 22, at the Thayne Mortuary from 6:00-8:00 p.m. as well as at the Thayne Stake Center on Thursday, May 23 at 10:00 am. Funeral services for Robert will be held at 12:00 p.m. at the Thayne Stake Center on Thursday, May 23. Interment will be in the Bedford Cemetery.
