Joe Michael Heavner

Joe Michael Heavner (Mike) 75, of Surfside Beach, SC passed away peacefully at home on March 15th surrounded by his loving wife and four daughters. He was born on November 27, 1942, son of the late Catherine Ramsey Hord and William Woodrow Heavner. He graduated from Cherryville High School and Gaston College. He enjoyed working at Carolina Freight Carriers Corporation for 33 years. He also owned a small photography business in Cherryville, NC, where he photographed weddings, sporting and dance events. Having some of his work published in Guidepost magazine was a special honor. Later in life, after moving to Surfside Beach, he was employed at the KingFisher Inn and enjoyed working in the hospitality industry. Mike was a loving husband, father, grandfather, brother and friend. To know him was to love him and to be loved by him was to be blessed. He was a wonderful Christian man and he loved serving our Lord. He was a member of the First Baptist Church of Murrells Inlet, SC and served as a deacon at First Baptist Church of Cherryville and Glenns Bay Baptist Church of Surfside Beach. He was a member of the Masonic Lodge #421 and loved his brotherhood. Mike had a loving nature, a wonderful sense of humor and was a passionate lifelong sportsman and outdoorsman. On any given day, you might find Mike on the end of Garden City pier fishing with his friends. Hunting, woodworking, trivia, and listening to Bluegrass music also brought him a lot of joy. He is survived by his wife, Dianne Keever Heavner; daughters, Jennifer Heavner Yount (Art) of Cherryville, NC, Julie Heavner De Sa (Marcio) of York, SC, Kimberly Homesley Beam (Blair) of Cherryville, NC and Hope Homesley Riggins (David) of Charlotte, NC; a brother, Rick Heavner (Jan) of Cherryville, NC; grandchildren, Taylor and Eric Yount, Grant Beam, Luke, Nate and Eli De Sa and nephew, Brent Heavner. Mike fought a courageous battle with Parkinson's disease for over 13 years, but won the victory. The family would like to extend a special thank you to: Dr.Cooper and the Department of Neurology at MUSC, Dr. Michael Ratz, Dr. Michael Ouzts and the many nurses of Tidelands Health, Dr. Mark Schecker of Myrtle Beach, Tidelands Community Hospice and nurse, Laurie Ritchie. Funeral services will be held at 2:00 PM Saturday, March 17, 2018 at First Baptist Church Murrells Inlet. Visitation will be held at the church one hour prior to the service. The burial will be held at Hillcrest Cemetery Mausoleum with Masonic Rites rendered. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the (Building Fund) at First Baptist Church Murrells Inlet, PO Box 285 Murrells Inlet, SC 29576.

Joe Michael Heavner

November 27, 1942 - March 15, 2018