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Shirley Heim, who died at 73, impacted Stafford County

Date published: 10/13/2009

EDUCATORS have the opportunity to deeply impact students--and communities. Stafford County's Shirley Heim, who died last Wednesday at the age of 73, did both.

A Lancaster County native, Mrs. Heim held degrees from Mary Washington College and the University of Virginia. She worked with Stafford County's Head Start program, was founder and first director of the Governor's School for the Gifted at Mary Washington College, began the county strings program, spearheaded the introduction of technology in schools, and served as assistant superintendent of finance and technology. In her spare time, she started an Appalachian dance group called the Good Time Cloggers and worked tirelessly for the Rotary Club and other causes.

Patty Sullivan worked with Mrs. Heim for 11 years and found her to be an amazing person and "a very special friend." She was "always planning, always doing" and she "never stopped thinking about ways to help other people." Likewise, Vicki Lewis, another friend, told a Free Lance-Star reporter, "She lived every day as fully as any person I have ever known."

Mrs. Heim retired from Stafford County schools in 2003 but remained active in her other causes. Hers was a life well-lived.

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Date published: 10/13/2009