Michael K. Heinzel, 62, of Elmhurst, passed away recently at the age of 62. Beloved husband of Margarita Heinzel; loving father of Christian Heinzel; dear son of Agnes and the late Paul; brother of Ronald (Stephany) Heinzel, Mark (Diane) Heinzel and Beth (Scott Bauer) Rock; uncle of Olivia Zwierski-Moran, Sam and Jamie Heinzel, Paul and Hannah Rock and the late James Husted.
Michael was good-natured and uniquely full of curiosity. He had a wide breadth of knowledge and would strike up a conversation with everyone about any topic at any time, connecting with people of all ages. He was voted best-dressed in high school in ‘73 and always dressed with as much perfection as he put forth to his projects. He had a strong Norwegian heritage, making sure to always fly the flag on May 17 (Norwegian Constitution Day, Syttende Mai) as a nod to his Norwegian heritage. He was so self-sufficient and determined that people around him did not even know he was blind, in fact he was so determined to get things done he would go ahead and use his table saw or drive the car if that’s what was required. He had the most positive outlook on things and would often say, “It’s a good day when the person looking back from the mirror is still smiling.” Michael always had a smile on his face accompanied with a sparkle in his eyes.
Michael was the ultimate Eagle Scout himself and was even the assistant Scoutmaster (MBU). He has a special love of teaching children and the Boy Scouts. He often taught knots and woodworking and had a willingness to continue his teaching to Boy Scouts even after his son Christian had reached Eagle Scout and moved on. He even went as far as to work one-on-one with some of the scouts to help them complete their badges.
Heinzel was a master-organizer and he enjoyed collecting things, from his little collection of teaspoons from all over the world to his tens of thousands of songs in his music library. Michael was a music master. He never failed to impress people with his knowledge of song titles and artists. He could even tell you the year a song came out. He always enjoyed a good laugh, often brought on by his joke of the day delivered with his self-deprecating sense of humor, often commenting on the fact that he was a “blind carpenter.”
He liked his house clean but not as clean as his shop. Within his large collection of tools, he could always find one “just for that,” no matter whatever “that” was. And with the help of his tools, no project ever felt overwhelming and nothing was beyond his scope — he just went with it.
Michael touched so many lives and will be dearly missed.
Visitation was held at Ahlgrim Funeral Home, 567 S. Spring Rd., on Saturday, Oct. 28, 2017. Funeral services and Interment will be Saturday, Nov. 4, 2017 at 1 p.m. at the Zion Lutheran Church and Cemetery, E. 4250 Highway 56, Viroqua, Wisc. In lieu of flowers, Memorials will be appreciated to support the Scouting Program in the Three Fires Council in memory of Michael K. Heinzel, 415 N. Second St., St. Charles, 60174. Funeral information provided by Ahlgrim Funeral Home. For more info, call 630-834-3515 or visit ahlgrim.com.
