Louis V. Heineman

Louis Victor Heineman, 92, of Put-in-Bay, OH passed away peacefully Sunday, January 13, 2019 at Firelands Regional Medical Center, Sandusky, OH with family present. He was born May 29, 1926, son of Norman Victor and Helen Margaret Heineman. He married Barbara Janice Traverso on October 25, 1952. Louie adhered to family tradition and became a third generation Heineman winemaker and owner of Heineman Winery following in the footsteps of his father, Norman, and Heineman Winery founder and grandfather, Gustav Heineman. Together, Louie and his brother, Harry Heineman, owned Heineman Brothers Ice Fishing Guides in the 1950s and later in life owned Heineman Beverages Inc. He was a founding member of the Ohio Wine Producers Association serving as an executive member and director. Years of producing award winning wine and his dedicated mentorship to aspiring Ohio winemakers, eventually led to Louie becoming the first winemaker inducted into the Ohio Wine Producers Hall of Fame. He was a proud United States Army Veteran serving in World War II in Germany and a member of the American Legion Scheible-Downing Post 524 of Put-in-Bay. Both Louie and his beloved wife Barbara were devoted members of Mother of Sorrows Catholic Church. He was loved by many and wore many hats over his tenure, including President of the Put-in-Bay School Board, past member of the Put-in-Bay Volunteer Fire Dept, Perry Group, Lake Erie Islands Historical Society, Put-in-Bay Yacht Club, Port Clinton Elks, and Rockwell Trout Club. Louie loved traveling, especially by cruise ship; he also enjoyed fishing, golfing, reading and bowling. He loved watching his adored Cleveland sports teams play on TV; Indians, Cavaliers, Browns, and Ohio State football and basketball games. Family, friends, and even those he had just met were always delighted by his storytelling. Island history and WWII were often his topics of choice. It was not uncommon to find Louie in the wine garden chatting with new customers or old friends. His stories, his knowledge, his wisdom, his generosity, and his wit will be forever missed by all who knew him. Surviving are his children: Edward (Michele) Heineman of Put-in-Bay, Terese (Dr. John) Baker of Okemos, MI, Angela (Mark Hagerty) Heineman-Martens of Put-in-Bay, Victoria Roggenbeck of Jacksonville, FL, Elizabeth (Michael McIntyre) Heineman of Put-in-Bay, OH; grandchildren: Dr. Barbara Anne (Jason) Roggenbeck-Keizer, Lita (Dustin) Smith, Christina (Jim) Wilcox, Dustin (Kira Hubner) Heineman, Trevor (Michelle) Baker, Justin Baker, Ava Heineman, Desiraye (John Reyes) Pulizzi; twelve great-grandchildren; sister: Justine Bianchi and brother-in-law, Raymond Traverso both from Put-in-Bay, OH. He was preceded in death by his wife: Barbara Heineman; brothers: Gustav Heineman, Harry Heineman; sister: Eunice Horan; great-grandson: Samuel Heineman and son-in-law David Roggenbeck. Visitation will be held from 2-4 PM and 6-8 PM on Thursday, January 24, 2019 at Neidecker, LeVeck & Crosser Funeral Home & Cremation Service; 1124 Fulton St. Port Clinton, OH. Additional visitation will be held from 9-11 AM, Saturday, January 26, 2019 at the Cornerstone Room at Mother of Sorrows Catholic Church; 632 Catawba Ave. Put-in-Bay, where a Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated by Father Nick Cunningham and Father Frank Kehres at Mother of Sorrows Catholic Church, followed by interment in Maple Leaf Cemetery with American Legion Honors. Fellowship immediately following at the Put-in-Bay Town Hall. Another memorial will be held later in spring 2019 on Put-in-Bay. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be given to Put-in-Bay Schools Gustav Heineman Memorial scholarship or Mother of Sorrows Catholic Church. Online condolences may be shared with the family at www.neideckerleveckrosser.com Funeral Home: Neidecker-LeVeck & Crosser Funeral Home - Port Clinton Chapel 1124 Fulton Street Port Clinton, OH US 43452