Jochen Heesemann Obituary (1966

Jochen Heesemann, age 55, passed away on October 1, 2021 from complications related to a long term, undiagnosed illness. He was born to Bertha Alke Gerken and Klaus Heesemann on March 14, 1966 in Bremen, Germany. He lived in Germany until the age of 26. From 1988-1989, he served in the Bundeswehr (Military of Germany) in the Air Transport Squadron, alongside his best friend Frank who was with the Army Aviation Maintenance Squadron. He came to the U.S. for five months as part of his Mechanical Engineering education in 1990-1991, and then returned to Europe to finish his education and earn his degree as a Mechanical Engineer. Jochen and Deann met while he was doing his internship in the US, and Jochen was still working on his Mechanical Engineering degree. They maintained their strong bond through two years of letters and phone calls, while Jochen finished earning his degree. He returned to the US in August of 1992 with his fianc, Deann Bergquist, and they married in the Fall of 1992. They lived in Deanns small, 500 square foot apartment in Ellensburg until October of 1993, when they bought their first house and moved to Yakima. Over the next 11 years Jochen and Deann had three healthy children. Austin was born in 1998 and was 2 years old when they bought their second house in Yakima in January of 2001. Justine came along in May of 2001. In May of 2003, Jochen started work at Smiths Aviation in Yakima. This was about a year before the birth of their youngest child Laurel, and it was a welcome change for both the parents and their two children. At Smiths he felt he had found the best job of his career, and over the years it continued to give him great satisfaction and growth in his mechanical design and management skills. He continued to develop his skills and advance in the engineering department as the company was bought first by GE Aviation and then Triumph Aviation. Jochen was very involved with his family, he enjoyed spending time with them and traveling as much as time would allow. Their last visit in Germany was right before he became ill. They all enjoyed spending time with Jochens relatives, his best friend Frank, his wife Stefanie and their children, his brother Axel and wife Dagmar as well as his Mother Alke, both in Germany and the United States. In the years following his illness, many of his friends and colleagues provided support and friendship, with a few that really stood out. Doug Luedtke provided support to our family and visited Jochen many times in the hospital in Seattle and in Yakima, as well as when Jochen came back home. Bill Dianda helped us make our home wheelchair accessible and spent untold hours over the years helping with numerous house and yard repair projects. Paul Richards began visiting Jochen almost every Friday, often bringing old co-workers with him, to spend an hour visiting with Jochen. Jeremy Boler began visiting every Monday to play card games with Jochen and often his caregiver or one of his children would join in the fun. His long-time friend Frank Skyped with Jochen for at least an hour every Saturday with few exceptions. These weekly visits meant the world to Jochen and he always looked forward to them. Jochen, Deann, and the kids went on many vacations around Washington State during this time as well, continuing to make fun memories. He is survived by his wife Deann Bergquist, his three children Austin, Justine, and Laurel Heesemann (23, 20, 17, Yakima, WA), his mother Alke Heesemann and brother Axel (wife Dagmar) Heesemann (Bremen, Germany), Frank Hoffmann (Germany), mother-in-law Theresa Roberts (Yakima, WA), uncle in-law Michael Allen (Ellensburg, WA), Deanns sister Debra Bergquist Johnson (husband Douglas), nephews Cameron and Colton Cummings, Grandma Lucille Bergquist as well as many aunts, uncles, and cousins on the Bergquist side. He was preceded in death by his father Klaus Heesemann, daughter Jessi Layne Heesemann-Bergquist and stepfather John Jack Roberts (Yakima, WA). There will be a Celebration of Life, on Saturday, October 30, 2021 at 2:00pm at Brookside Funeral Home (500 W. Prospect, Moxee, WA 98936). In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his name to the charity of your choice and sent in care of Brookside Funeral Home (PO Box 1267, Moxee, WA 98936) who is caring for the family. Click to view LIVE service Celebration of Life Brookside Funeral Home and Crematory (Yakima) Saturday, October 30, 2021 2:00 PM 500 W Prospect Moxee, Washington 98936