Wayne Walter Heinze

Wayne Walter Heinze, 73, of Paoli, Pennsylvania, passed away peacefully on July 13, 2022, with his wife and son by his side.

He was the son of Walter and Veronica Hinchcliffe Heinze, born in Kearny, New Jersey.  He grew up in the projects there with his younger brother Rick, living in the chaos and violence of a postwar metropolis minutes from Manhattan. From his father, Walter, a veteran of intense combat in the Pacific theater, he learned tenacity, justice, and a passion for the outdoors and sports. From his mother, Veronica, an endlessly resourceful survivor of the Great Depression, he learned a love with no bounds, empathy for children and animals, and the indefatigable optimism to charm, comfort, and unify in even the darkest of times. The wild imagination, exceptional wit, and drive to transcend the mundane with extraordinary pranks were wholly his own.

At Kearny High School he was a fierce athlete, starring as a track sprinter and as a running back for the football team. He had scholarship offers from several prestigious universities and attracted the attention of NFL recruiters before devastating knee injuries cut short his career. He went on to attend Montclair State University, studying history and earth sciences with a vigorous thirst for knowledge while working part-time in factories. He would often commute to school and work by foot and buses, running up to 13 miles while carrying a loaded backpack.

His athletic pursuits continued in baseball, basketball, and running for years through the Kearny Athletic Club, an organization which he co-founded.  He began a volunteer coaching career in his late teens that would continue in some form for his entire life. To the countless dozens of athletes in whom he distilled both a love of sports and the hard-won wisdom that only athletes can earn, he was known for decades later as “Coach,” as former players recalled the transformative life experience of playing for him on one of his numerous championship teams.

He was an avid lifelong fisherman, conservationist, and lover of the natural environment. Trips with his family to the saltwater bays and inlets along the New Jersey coast were in his blood, but he equally loved discovering hidden freshwater ponds, swamps, and lakes around the state and the country, eventually catching fish in 38 states. He kept meticulously detailed naturalist’s logs of every fishing trip of his adult life. For every birthday from the age of 21 to 72, he caught the same number of fish as his age on that day. 

With a trademark patience honed over decades as a quietly extraordinary fisherman, he waded and waited for the love of his life until his mid-30s. That was when he met his wife Rosemary (nee Callahan), and proceeded to dedicate himself to her with an unwavering absoluteness throughout their 37 years of marriage. In Woodbury, New Jersey, and later in nearby Haddonfield, they raised their son Justin, where they both poured their lives and energies into giving him every opportunity. 

Wayne passed along all of his passions to his son, and they shared a particular devotion to baseball, track, literature, and camping. Among countless camping adventures, Roan Mountain State Park in Tennessee and Grand Canyon Parashant National Monument in Utah were favorites. With an incredible devotion, he coached all of his son’s sports teams year-round through his youth, and later drove countless hours to every single one of his son’s college cross country and track meets.

His final great athletic venture was a fully original and volunteer effort to promote women’s sports, particularly women’s professional hockey. He interviewed players from all over the world, including Olympians. He was particularly instrumental in growing the fanbase for the Connecticut Whale which he celebrated on social media as Cetacean Nation Hockey.

In his professional life, Wayne brought the same dedication, good cheer, and drive for success to his work as a sales manager in the building and construction sector. When medical issues forced his retirement, his characteristic fierceness became only more evident as he prevailed in the last decade over a succession of monsters that sought to take him down. 

In addition to his beloved wife Rosemary and their son Justin, Wayne is survived by his brother Richard Heinze and his wife Wallie, their daughter Victoria Straka and her husband Keith, and their daughter Veronica Rose. His cousins Patricia Burroughs and William Burroughs also survive him, as do his uncle Joseph Hinchcliffe, his wife Sandra, and their children. His cousin Dale Heinze, his wife Donna, and their son Brian also survive. He was predeceased by maternal aunts and uncles Richard, Frank, and Marion, as well as Muriel Burroughs and her husband Bill. On his father’s side, he was also predeceased by his uncle Fred Heinze, and his wife Doris.

Additionally, Wayne is dearly missed by his sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law Helen (John) Lozano, Annamary Callahan, Gracemary (John) Lipnicki, Mary (Tom) Noone, John Callahan, Eileen (the late Bob) Garner, and Frank (Kim) Callahan, and their children, including those of his late brother-in-law James Callahan.  A dear aunt, Anna Marie O’Reilly also survives, as does a large extended family of Callahan, Reilly, O’Reilly, Gibson, and McCarty cousins.

A funeral mass will be held on Thursday, July 21st at 11:00 a.m. at St. Norbert’s Church, 50 Leopard Road, Paoli, Pennsylvania, with visitation from 10:00 a.m. until the time of the service.  The mass will be livestreamed at www.parish.stnorbert.org/livestream/

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Be The Match at https://bethematch.org/, Friends of Heinz Refuge at https://fohrefuge.org/, or the Student Conservation Association at https://www.thesca.org/.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Wilde Funeral Home of Parkesburg, Pennsylvania. Online condolences can be posted at www.wildefuneralhome.com