San Antonio - Jerry Joseph Heep was born in San Antonio TX on 7/30/48 and passed away suddenly and unexpectedly at the age of 78 at home in Weatherford TX on 8/27/26 when his great heart gave up. He was hale and hearty to the end and that's how he wanted to go. He loved making people laugh at his quick-witted jokes. He was kind and gentle to everyone and took care of his family & friends. He rescued us too many times to count.

He served in the US Marine Corps from 1967 to 1971 as an Air Winger maintaining F4 Phantom jet radars where he developed his passion for electronics. After defeating lung cancer in 1990, he achieved his ambition of obtaining a bachelor's degree in Electronics. He worked as an Electronics Engineer designing consumer products for Tandy/Radio Shack from 1975 to 2012. When Radio Shack moved their R&D to Asia, he liked to brag that he was "Tandy's last standing engineer in the US".

In 1986, he and his wife Vivian designed and built the earth sheltered home of their dreams on 10 acres in Weatherford. It was his great joy to make his home as earth-caring as possible. He designed and built many of the features of their home and always maintained them himself. He also enjoyed working on cars and trucks for any of his family or friends and he would do handyman repairs (except woodwork) for any who asked him. He always said "measure wood 10 times and cut 3 times to get it right."

His wife of 56 years, Vivian, and his daughters, Nikki & Sabrina, miss him terribly but know that he's waiting for them on the other side. He is also survived by his brothers and their wives, Larry and Kathryn Heep, William and Rita Heep, his sister Shirley Ellis, his brother-in-law and wife, Thomas and Yong Kum Miller, his sister-in-law, Mary Sue Miller, and a plethora of nieces, nephews, and friends.

There will be a come & go memorial for him on Saturday, September 12, at his home in Weatherford from 12:00 to 5:00. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the American Cancer Society or the American Diabetes Association.