Esther Elaine Heath

Funeral services for Esther E. Heath of Warroad, MN will be held on Saturday, July 28th at 10 AM at the Woodland Bible Church in Warroad.  Visitation will be on Friday from 5-7 with a 7:00 prayer service at Helgeson Funeral Home in Warroad.  Interment will be at the Silent City Cemetery in Roosevelt.

Esther Elaine Heath passed away on Sunday, July 22, 2018, at her home in Salol, MN, at the age of 74.

Esther Heath was born in Warroad, MN, on March 30, 1944, to William and Helen (Johnson) Grover. She attended elementary and high school in Warroad, graduating in 1962. After graduation Esther went to California to help watch her oldest brother Paul’s children. While in California she met her future husband, Wilford Heath, while he was stationed at the Marine Corp base in San Diego. During one of their first dates they went to the San Diego Zoo. While there, they saw a gorilla…her name was Esther.

Esther and Wilford were united in marriage on August 15, 1964, at the Evangelical Covenant Church in Warroad. After they were married they moved to Knoxville, TN, for a short period of time before Wilford re-enlisted in the Marines. While at Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, NC, Esther gave birth to Rhonda in January of 1966. During the sixteen years that Wilford was in the Marines they moved to a several bases and Esther worked in a variety of stores, including PX stores on the bases and a store called Rose’s Department store.

After Wilford retired from the Marines they moved to Thief River Falls, MN, and Esther worked at Ace Hardware in the toy department. They lived there from 1980-83. From Thief River Falls they moved to Richfield, MN. Esther worked at Bachman’s in the summer garden center during the summer season. They lived there from 1983-85. In 1985 they moved to Warroad, MN. She worked at the Patch Motel as a housekeeper for a few years before going into individual housekeeping. In 1991 she reduced her cleaning to part-time to take care of her granddaughter and in 2006 she retired from cleaning houses to enjoy time with her family.

Esther enjoyed reading, winning at cards (especially nickel rummy), baking, taking care of her lovely granddaughters, crocheting, visiting with family and friends, fishing with Willie, traveling, and the last few years playing bingo with her friends at the Warroad Care Center.

She is survived by her daughter, Rhonda (Michael) Curran of Thief River Falls, MN; granddaughters Nicole (Jordan) Rairdon of Thief River Falls and Ashley (Josh) Bergerson of Thief River Falls; great-grandson Darrel Rairdon of Thief River Falls; sister Eloda Knutson of Goodridge, MN; brother Paul (Karen) Grover of Mt. Grove, MO; sister Lilyan (Harvey) Lindstrom of Monticello, MN; brother Bernard Grover of Minnetonka, MN;  brother Jack (Kay) Grover of Cleburne, TX; brother Neil (Arlene) Grover of Browerville, MN; brother Richard (Carol Lynn) Grover of Auburn, GA; brother Kenny (Sandy) Grover of Centennial, CO; sister Connie Wold of Viking, MN; brother Gary Grover of Warroad, MN; and many nieces and nephews.

She is preceded in death by her loving husband, Wilford Heath; parents William and Helen Grover and son-in-law, Darrell Wolff.

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