Sandra Heitzman, 76, was born in Chicago, the daughter of the late Angeline and Alexander Frensko. She graduated from Tuley High School in Chicago, earned her B.A. degree in Education and her M.A. in English Literature from the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana where she was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa honor society. She taught English for several years at Phillips High School in Chicago and later became the longtime circulation manager at Forest Park Public Library, retiring after 25 years of service in 2019.
Besides her family, her most enjoyable interest was literature. She delighted in inspiring others to read and appreciate the best classic and contemporary books. She started two lively book discussion groups, the Bundren Society (from William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying), one of the oldest literary groups in the western suburbs, and the “Gammy Birds” (from Annie Proulx’s The Shipping News, ducks that gather for socialized quacking) at the Forest Park library. Both of the groups met monthly for many years. Herman Melville’s Moby Dick was her favorite novel and required reading for the members. A lover of film and music, and a dancer in her younger days, she also loved to travel the world with her husband and children. Fascinated by true crime detection as a hobby, she was a dedicated devotee of CrimeCon, attending many of its events.
Sandy is deeply missed by loved ones and family.
She was, the wife of Frank Heitzman (for 53 years); the mother of Christopher Heitzman, Nicholas Heitzman and Alexandra Heitzman.
Arrangements were handled by Zimmerman-Harnett Funeral Home.