Frederick H. “Ted” Heiman, 86 of Wichita, Kan., formerly of Holden, Mo. died Tuesday, Jan. 14, in Wichita.

Williams Funeral Chapel in Holden is in charge of local arrangements.

Ted was born on July 17, 1927 in Montrose, Mo. as the 2nd of nine children of Cornelius and Lucy (Hake) Heiman. Ted was very responsible as a young man and earned the honor of Eagle Scout at an early age.

He graduated from Montrose High in 1945 and quickly entered the Navy only to be discharged a year later in 1946 as the war ended. He moved to Urich, Mo. where he bought a grain elevator, met, fell in love, and married Mary Kathryn Coulter in 1952. He rejoined the military and served in the United States Navy Construction Battalion – the ‘Seabees’, where he honed his inate ability to build, fix or repair anything, which he would use throughout his life in his career and his hobbies.

He was discharged in 1954 and he and Kay moved to Independence, Mo. where they both went to work for Ford Motor Company assembling airplanes. Their firstborn son, Rick, was born in 1957.

Ted returned to the grain business in 1958 when he purchased the grain elevator in Holden, Mo. and founded Heiman Elevator. He and Kay made a life in Holden having three more sons; Phil, Mark and Chris, and being active in the local Jaycees, Water District Board and St. Patrick’s Catholic Church. Ted sold Heiman Elevator to his brother Jerome in 1975 for health reasons and spent a few years in retirement which he spent rebuilding and flying airplanes.

He and Kay then moved to Wichita, Kan. and once again joined the grain business when he and his brothers Jim and Charlie bought a grain terminal. He retired for good in 1995 and began his hobby of rebuilding salvage automobiles…a practice he continued up until a month before his death.

Survivors: include four sons: Rick Heiman and wife, Sue of Lee’s Summit, Mo.; Phil Heiman and wife, Jenice of Hammond, La.; Mark Heiman and wife, Carrie of Wichita, Kan. and Chris Heiman of Wichita, Kan.; sister: Beatrice of Butler, Mo.; two brothers: Jerome Heiman and wife, Sue of Holden, Mo. and Charles Heiman and wife, Terry of Rockville, Mo.; eleven grandchildren; nine great grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his wife, Kay and several siblings.