An obituary was published in The News-Review, Roseburg OR, on 12 November 2009
Ursa Marie Copeland Heinz - Ursa Marie Copeland Heinz, 94, a longtime Roseburg, Oregon, resident, died of multiple causes on November 2, 2009, while a hospice patient in Tigard, Oregon. She lived in Roseburg nearly all of her life until 2008 when failing health forced her to leave her home and enter an adult care facility.
Mrs. Heinz was born in Roseburg on October 18, 1915, the first child of Arthur Leroy Copeland and Georgianna Coffel Copeland. When she was two years old, her mother died, and her father left her and her brother in the care of her maternal grandmother, Anna Coffel, a widow dependent for her livelihood on a 17-year-old son. Ursa's brother was then adopted by an elderly couple, and she was raised to adulthood by her grandmother, Coffel, other relatives, and family friends. Part of her childhood was spent in Portland, Oregon, orphanages. Ursa Copeland graduated from Roseburg Senior High in 1933.
In 1936, she married T. Herbert Heinz, a Nebraska native whom she met in 1932 when he was stationed at a Civilian Conservation Corps camp in Melrose. They had much in common: both had been orphaned as young children, both were raised in poverty, both came to adulthood in the depths of the Great Depression, and both dreamed of having a secure home and family. Mrs. Heinz applied her considerable talents to make that dream come true and was known in her community as an accomplished homemaker and mother. She took pride in her reputation as an excellent cook, canned fruits and vegetables that she grew in her own garden, and baked beautiful breads. She could sew a dress or shirt rivaling anything in stores, and she made knitted baby garments and children's dolls that won prizes. At the same time, she could wield carpenters' tools with such skill that she helped build the family home from the ground up.
The same hands that pounded 10-penny nails and poured concrete wrote long letters to friends and relatives, some of which have been treasured as "keepers" to be reread over the years. With no family traditions to follow, she created new ones for holidays and special events. And she did it all with very limited funds, stretching every dollar with uncanny ingenuity. In short, she gave her all to make the home and family that she did not have as a child.
After her children left home for college, it became obvious that, as important as the home-and-family dream had been, Ursa Heinz had other dreams to fulfill. Her inquiring mind drove her to educate herself to the degree that most people mistakenly assumed that she was a college graduate. Painting, which had been largely deferred because of limited time and funds for art supplies, now became feasible. She took art classes at Umpqua Community College and created paintings that were sold and exhibited in various public spaces in Roseburg. She joined the Audubon Society and a rock collectors' club. Writing reams of fictional stories, reminiscences, and philosophical musings gave her the confidence to head a writers' forum. She also led discussion groups and writers' groups at a Roseburg retirement home and volunteered at the Friendly Kitchen. To satisfy her love of music, she used her own Social Security money to buy a Hammond organ, took music lessons, and joined an organ club.
In later years, Mrs. Heinz cared for her seriously ill husband. When he could no longer safely drive a car, with characteristic pluck and determination she earned her driver's license. She was 72 years old when, with great pride, she added this liberating achievement to her long list of accomplishments. That list would continue to grow for two more decades.
Mrs. Heinz was preceded in death by her husband, her brother, and by her aunt, Marion Coffel Hart, who was like a sister to her. She is survived by her three children, Georgianna Heinz Lukens of Portland; Thomas Carl Heinz of Alexandria, Virginia; Gregory Stuart Heinz of Eugene, Oregon; five grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; other family members, including her cousin, Joan Bolsinger, a longtime Roseburg resident to whom she was particularly close; and many friends.
Memorial contributions in Mrs. Heinz' honor may be made to the Saving Grace Pet Adoption Center, 943 Del Rio Road, P.O. Box 803, Winchester, OR 97495
[The News-Review, Roseburg, Oregon, Thursday, 12 November 2009.
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