Herbert S. Heavenrich-Obituary, March 2, 2011

Herbert S. Heavenrich | Visit Guest Book

Heavenrich, Herbert S. Heavenrich, Herbert S. Of Milwaukee and Key Biscayne, FL, died after a short illness Wednesday, February 23, 2011. He was 88. Herb is survived by Jill, his wife of 57 years, and their five children: Hope (Jordi) Torrents, Amy (Josh) Ticho, Hollis (Mike), Heavenrich-Jones, Avery (Lizzie), Heavenrich and Adam (Polly) Heavenrich. He was a proud grandfather to Max, Elisabet, Laura, Sophie, Abigail, Sam, Daniel, Becca, Graham, Lilly, Ava and Spencer. Herbert Heavenrich moved to Milwaukee from Omaha, Nebraska, with his family when he was 5 years old. He spent the next 83 years loving our city, and working to make it a better place to live. He met and married Milwakeean Jill Sherry. Their first date was planned for the Wisconsin State Fair, but they ended up going to a summer stock production in Oconomowoc instead, foreshadowing their lifelong love for theater. Once settled in their house on Milwaukee's east side, Herb, a jogger before it was popular, and a roller blader until the age of 80, ran and skated through Lake Park for hours on end. He flew kites with his five kids along the lakefront, and planned picnics on its beaches. In 1968, Herb became Milwaukee's Chief Economist under the late Mayor Henry Maier and later became Director of Urban Planning for the Department of City Development. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded Milwaukee a contract to devise a new strategy for comprehensive planning. HUD asked Milwaukee to implement the new design, and Herb carried it out, resulting in a new approach to city planning for the City of Milwaukee. In 1976 Herb joined Anderson Roethle to head up their mergers and acquisitions consulting practice and worked there for 20 years. He graduated second in his class from Shorewood High School, and rarely settled for that distinction again. He was first in his engineering class at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, and the same with his MBA from the University of Chicago. As an intellectual and a seeker, Herb had a passion for writing. He wrote a volume on prefabricated housing which was funded by a grant from MIT based on research he did in Great Britain. He also wrote a book about his friend and mentor Eva Fleischner entitled "In Search of the Sacred." He met Eva when she taught at Marquette University and was fascinated by her unique story of fleeing the Nazis as a Catholic during World War II. Herb committed himself to providing assistance for those with mental illness. He was instrumental in the development of Our Space, a Milwaukee facility for clients in need of a destination for community, companionship, computer networking and employment services. Herb and Jill together were passionate supporters of the arts, and worked to nurture young and developing theater companies in Milwaukee. Herb embodied the quote: "The greatest gift a man can give his children is to love their mother." There will be a memorial service on Saturday, March 12th, at 2:00 pm at the UWM Helene Zelazo Center, 2419 E. Kenwood Ave., Milwaukee, 53211. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Our Space, 1527 W. National Avenue, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53207.
Published in Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on March 1, 2011