Dorthy Marie Heaton

December 13, 1936 - January 24, 2022

Dorthy Marie Heaton, age 85, of Hiteman, IA, passed away on Monday, January 24, 2022, at the Monroe County Hospital in Albia. Dorthy was born on December 13, 1936, at home on the family farm in Hiteman to Joseph and Mary (Thomas) Starcevic. She grew up attending school and graduated from the Albia High School. On June 23, 1962, she was united in marriage to DeWayne Heaton at the First Christian Church in Albia and to this union, 2 sons were born, Wayne and Troy. Dorthy and DeWayne shared 27 years of marriage prior to DeWayne’s passing in 1989. Following high school, Dorthy worked in Des Moines. She returned to Albia and was a secretary for REA (which later became REC). After raising her children, Dorthy went to work at Chicago Rivet. She finished her career at Monroe Care Center where she worked in housekeeping, retiring in June of 1997. Dorthy enjoyed being outdoors, sitting on her front porch and doing yardwork, which she did into her 80’s. She loved animals and enjoyed all the neighborhood pets. She was a great cook and loved making monkey bread and bacon for her grandchildren. She was very caring and treated her daughters-in-law, Lynn and Julie, as her own daughters. Dorthy’s true joy in life was her grandchildren, who affectionately called her “Grandma D.” She loved attending all of their events, keeping up with all of their activities, and clipping the newspaper articles they were in. Family was everything to Dorthy and she cherished all of the time spent with them. Dorthy is survived by 2 children, Wayne (Lynn) Heaton and Troy (Julie) Heaton; 4 grandchildren, Erin, Jay, Ryan, and Logan; a brother, Francis (Virgene) Starcevic; 3 sisters-in-law, Donna Starcevic, Judy Clark, and Janet (Jim) French; and a brother-in-law, Marvin (Ellen) Heaton. Dorthy is also survived by many nieces, nephews, cousins, and good friends. Dorthy was preceded in death by her husband, DeWayne; her parents, Joseph and Mary Starcevic; a sister, Rosella Bettis; and 2 brothers, George and Jim Starcevic. Visitation will be held from 2:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 27, 2022, at the Tharp Funeral Home in Albia, with Dorthy’s family present from 4:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. to greet family and friends. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, January 28, 2022, at the Tharp Funeral Home in Albia, with Pastor Roger Henry officiating. Burial will follow services at Oak View Cemetery in Albia. An open memorial has been established to the family.