Robert J. Heiler

Robert J. Heiler, age 81, of Pritchard Avenue in Corning, NY died Saturday, September 20, 2014.

Robert "Bob" was born on January 23, 1933 in Pittsburgh, PA to Walter and Margaret (Fahey) Heiler. He married Dorothy M. Cassidy on June 22, 1963 in Pittsburgh and was predeceased by her on December 13, 2011.

He was the oldest of three sons and the family resided in the borough of Crafton as members of the Saint Philip Roman Catholic parish. A true patriot and believer in higher education, Bob graduated from Duquesne University in 1955 but instead of celebrating with his classmates, he responded to the draft and reported for duty to the United States Army. After working as a Cryptanalyst in the Pentagon, he was discharged in 1957 and returned to Pittsburgh to work for the next four years. In 1958 he met Dorothy Cassidy on a blind date and the two became inseparable.

In 1961 Bob accepted an accounting/auditing position with The Corning Glass Works and thus began his 53-year tenure in the Crystal City. He and Dorothy were wed in 1963 at Saint Augustine Church in Pittsburgh surrounded by family and friends. After honeymooning in upstate New York's Lake George area the young couple settled in Meadowbrook on Corning's north side to start their family. In 1969, while expecting their third child, Bob and Dorothy moved to the current family residence on Pritchard Avenue. Years later, Bob transitioned his employment to Ingersoll Rand in General Accounting and retired in 1997 from Dresser Industries in Painted Post.

Throughout his adult life, Bob took immense pleasure in spending as much time in nature as possible. He was an avid game hunter, fisherman and golfer. He also delighted in cultivating a beautiful and prolific backyard family garden, the fruits of which he shared with the entire neighborhood, from about 1970 to 2011. Bob loved his family, especially his grandchildren, and attended as many of their events as possible. He was extremely intelligent and creative. He rebuilt much of his home by hand after the Flood of '72 and could be seen working a crossword puzzle every day of the week. He held a special fascination with the events surrounding World War II, having read many books and watched hours of documentary films on the topic.

He was fiercely independent and a devout Catholic who loved God above all. For over fifty years he was an active member of Corning's Roman Catholic community, with Saint Vincent de Paul as his home church. Even on the day of his last breath, he was planning to attend the 4-o'clock mass there and take the collection as he did every week. He also visited his wife's grave every day without fail to pray with her.

Bob Heiler was a more than a good man, husband, father, friend and neighbor. He was a Good Samaritan in the truest sense and offered help to anyone who needed it, whether they asked for it or not. He loved to make people smile, share in a good story and make a little mischief along the way. He led by example and was the kind of person that people were proud to know. He will be dearly missed.

He is survived by three children, Robert "Rob" (Jennifer) Heiler Jr., Margaret "Meg" (Shishir Sinha) Heiler, and Dianne (David Ciabattoni) Heiler; five grandchildren, Christina Heiler, Gregory Heiler, Nicolas Heiler, Bela Sinha, and Michael Heiler; two brothers Walter Heiler Jr. and Frederick Heiler, four nephews and several cousins.

Calling hours will be on Sunday, September 28th from 2 - 5 PM at Haughey Funeral Home, Inc., 216 E. First Street in Corning. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held 9:30 AM on Monday, September 29th at St. Vincent de Paul Church, 222 Dodge Avenue in Corning with Father Lewis Brown officiating. Burial will be in St. Mary's Cemetery in Corning.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to All Saints Parish, 222 Dodge Avenue, Corning, NY 14830.

Bob's family entrusted his care to Haughey Funeral Home, Inc.