Steve Stanley Heiser, 86, of Wheeling, West Virginia, passed away on Wednesday, May 3, 2023, at his daughter’s home on Cheat Lake in Morgantown, West Virginia.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Steve Heiser, Mary Kolsosky Heiser, and his sister, Esther Heiser Haverlack. He is survived by his wife, Carol Jeffreys Heiser, to whom he had been married for 59 years, daughter Kristen Heiser, Sylvia Parker, and nieces Kathleen Haverlack Wasser (Louis) and Diana Haverlack.
After graduation from Canonsburg High, he enlisted in the Air Force for four years and served in Osaka, Japan, and Denver, Colorado. He then graduated from the Spartan School of Aeronautics in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and became certified as an Airframe and Power Plant (A&P) Mechanic. He also enjoyed being a private pilot.
Returning to Pennsylvania, he worked full-time in the metallurgy departments of Universal Cyclops (Bridgeville), Westinghouse Atomic Power Division (Forest Hills), and Teledyne Columbia-Summerill (Carnegie) while attending night school at the University of Pittsburgh School of Engineering, earning his metallurgical engineering degree.
In 1964, Steve married Carol Jeffreys, also of Canonsburg. They lived in the Churchill area of Pittsburgh and had their only child, Kristen. From there, the family moved to Plymouth, Michigan, where Steve worked for the Michigan Seamless Tube Company (South Lyon). It was there that he moved from steel production to management.
In 1978, Steve served as Vice-President of Technical Services for the Leland Tube Company (South Plainfield, NJ). The family made their home in Scotch Plains, and all enjoyed the proximity to New York City. In 1980 the family returned to Pennsylvania, where Steve was the general manager of the Van Huffel Tube Corporation (Oil City). In 1984 Steve became the plant manager of Triangle P.W.C. (Glen Dale, WV), and the family moved to Wheeling, where Steve and Carol lived until 2022. Due to growing health concerns, they then moved to Cheat Lake, in Morgantown, West Virginia, with their daughter.
Steve enjoyed sailing trips with family and friends, playing golf with his daughter, and attending the theater, symphony, and opera. Steve was a wonderful mix of smart and creative. He created whimsical painted birdhouses made from gourds and was often in his workshop creating things that put smiles on the faces of everyone. After many vacations, he would commemorate the trip with a hand-made, meaningful creation.
Steve was a most loving father. He and Kristen cherished their father/daughter trips – father/daughter weekends at college, attending the Annapolis Sailing School together, excursions to air shows, and more. He was also a “foodie” and was well-known for his chicken and bean soups and even more so for his variety of delicious biscotti, which he shared generously with family and friends.
Steve thoroughly enjoyed his 20-plus years volunteering with Carol at Wheeling Hospital and the Wheeling Garden Center at Oglebay Resort. In addition, he greatly enjoyed volunteering with The Soup Kitchen of Greater Wheeling, as he never wanted anyone to go hungry. Steve was also a former Elder at Vance Presbyterian Church in Wheeling.
He was deeply loved and profoundly admired by Carol and Kristen and received much love, care, and support from our very special Sylvia Parker.
A memorial will be announced by the family at a later date prior to his interment at Oak Spring Cemetery in Canonsburg.
