John George Stephen Heffner

Our beloved John George Stephen Heffner of Davidson, NC died unexpectedly due to a sudden cardiac arrest on February 5th, 2018. Our hearts ache with overwhelming sadness at his loss and he will be missed so very much. Born in Richmond, Virginia to Marvin and Anita Heffner, John was 58 years old when he passed. John graduated from Virginia Tech with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. While there, he met Barbara Eklund, who would become his partner in life’s adventure, marrying her immediately upon graduation. Afterwards, he began work at Duke Energy and ultimately maintained the McGuire Nuclear Plant’s diesel generators as a Principle Engineer. He was highly respected for his knowledge within Duke Energy and throughout the Nuclear Regulatory Industry. His extensive knowledge was not limited to just work topics – as a devoted father to his twin sons Ryan and Joey, he spent many happy moments building tree forts, go-carts, and rockets with them during their childhood, paving the way for activities such as rebuilding engines and restoring cars. He had an immense ocean of knowledge, which lives in his sons today. He was so proud of their accomplishments: Ryan, a Mechanical Engineer like his father, is obtaining his masters while working as a design engineer, and Joey is pursuing a Ph.D. in Psychology at Brown University. One of John’s last conversations was with his co-workers, happily sharing the wonderful news that both boys were recently engaged.

John was also a loving brother to his surviving sister, Suzanne Brown and brother-in-law Bill Brown of Richmond, Virginia, and our family has many fabulous memories spent at their house on the Chesapeake. On his wife’s side, he will be missed dearly by Greg and Molly Eklund of Annandale, Virginia.

As a child, he always wanted to be Emmett Clark, the Fix-It man in The Andy Griffith Show, so it is no surprise that he not only handled all the maintenance of our house, but jumped to help neighbors, friends, and co-workers. He had such a kind and caring spirit and loved helping others.

As a lifelong Sheltie owner all 34 years of married life, he had a passion and love for the breed, rescuing and providing a loving home to many. Memorials may be made to the National Sheltie Rescue Network, www.nationalsheltierescue.org/Donate.php. 

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, March 10, 2018 at 1:00 pm at Davidson United Methodist Church, Davidson, NC.