Bill Heeman, the owner of the local Heeman’s Berry Farm, has passed away at the age of 83.
Heeman grew up as Willibrordus in Uithoorn, Netherlands, where he met his wife Susan. The two moved to Canada, settling on a farm just outside of London, which has now become Heeman’s Berry Farm.
Heeman was the “conscience” of the farm, and always looked for ways to improve upon it, even if he no longer ran the day-to-day operations through his later years, according to Heeman’s website.
As a regular at the Berry Beanery for coffee at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. with Susan, one of the highlights of his days was connecting with customers who he’d formed tight bonds with over coffee.
A memorial wall will be installed by the Berry Beanery, where anyone wishing to share a favourite memory or pay their respects is welcome to write a note on a flower petal and place it on a mural wall.
Heeman passed away surrounded by his loving family on June 28, 2017.