Dr. Duane A. Heyman
June 11, 1941-July 10, 2020
Dr. Duane Allan Heyman, 79, passed away peacefully in hospice on July 10, 2020.
Duane was born on June 11, 1941 in Toledo, Ohio to Glen and Giralda (Rehklau) Heyman. Duane was the oldest of four children. He spent much of his childhood on his grandfather’s and father’s farms. He graduated in 1959 from Metamora High School in Metamora, Ohio. He obtained a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Case Institute of Technology in Cleveland, Ohio in 1963 and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of California at Berkeley in 1968.
On August 3, 1968, Duane married Laurel (Sutton) Heyman. The couple met in a chemistry lab at Case. They lived in Walla Walla, Washington where Duane was a chemistry professor at Whitman College before moving back to Toledo, Ohio. While in Toledo, Duane worked as a chemist at Owens-Illinois. In 1978, they moved to Monroe, MI and Duane started working for BASF Corporation in Wyandotte, Michigan. He retired from BASF in 2003.
Duane and Laurel had one daughter and Duane was a devoted husband and father. The couple traveled throughout the United States and overseas until illnesses sidelined both of them. They visited almost every US state and over 65 countries on all seven continents. On each of these trips, Laurel took thousands of pictures and Duane’s job was to put together slide shows that he would enthusiastically show to friends and family.
Duane suffered from metastatic renal cancer in recent years, but he didn’t let that slow him down. He stayed active in Christ Lutheran Church and regularly attended the BASF retirees’ luncheons.
Duane is survived by his wife, Dr. Laurel E. Heyman, daughter Paula Heyman, twin sisters Bonnie (Mike) Okoneski and Carla (Jerry) Warnock, sisters-in-law Evie Thompsen and Darla Hoagland, and nieces and nephews. In addition to his parents, his passing was preceded by his brother Glen Heyman and his sister-in-law Marlene Moore.
Visitation with the family is on Wednesday, July 22 from 3-7 pm at Rupp Funeral Home, 2345 S. Custer Rd., Monroe, MI 48161. A memorial service will be held at 11 am on Thursday, July 23 at Christ Lutheran Church, 225 E. Elm Ave., Monroe, MI 48162. Due to COVID, masks must be worn and only 50 people will be able to attend the service.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations to the Alzheimer’s Association and the Heymann Historical Society are suggested.
Online condolences to the family may be made through www.ruppfuneralhomeinc.com