Eddie “Ed” “Grandpa Ed” Richard Heffron, 85, of Oconomowoc, passed away surrounded by family on Feb. 4, 2026. Ed was born Sept. 29, 1940, in Rockford, Illinois, the son of Ellen (Diamond) Barris and Eddie Barris. Ed was later adopted by his stepfather, Dell Heffron. Some of Ed’s favorite early memories were playing and swinging on the porch with his mother and sister Kay, at his Grandpa Diamond’s house on West State Street in Rockford.
Ed grew up in various Wisconsin farming communities including Fenimore, Livingston, Ellenboro, Platteville, Mifflin, and North Lake. By the age of fourteen, Ed was driving tractors and troubleshooting farm equipment operations. Alongside his parents and siblings, Ed grew up working on their dairy farms and became instrumental in keeping the farm going after an accident that left his father unable to walk for a year. He graduated from Hartland Arrowhead High School in 1959 where he met special lifelong friends.
In 1963, Ed married Barbara Meyer. They lived in Menomonee Falls then Brookfield, where they raised their two children, Leann and Dawn. Ed prioritized his family and raised his children with values that he cherished including making work together fun and rewarding. Ed and Barb divorced. In 1988, Ed and Susan “Sue” Ellman married, adding Jane and Louis to the family. Ed and Sue lived in Brookfield for many years before moving to Oconomowoc. Together, they enjoyed many years of domestic and international travel with family and friends including many road trips on their motorcycles. Their Delavan Club Condo became a weekend haven and a favorite place to spend time with their children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, nieces, nephews, siblings and friends. One of Ed’s greatest joys was years of captaining their boat on Delavan Lake.
As a young man, Ed attended the Milwaukee School of Engineering and worked as a machine operator at Dostal and Lowey before becoming a carbide cutting tool expert and salesman for the Valeron Corporation. After retiring from GTE Valenite, Ed enjoyed many years of woodworking as well as becoming a handyman and jack-of-all-trades as he helped family and friends.
Ed was known as a generous, thoughtful and supportive son, brother, husband, father, uncle, grandfather and friend. Ed was a lot of fun and he made sure everyone around him enjoyed themself. We miss him already.
Ed is survived by his wife Susan; his children, Leann (Scott) Wasemiller and Dawn (Roger) Jensen; step-children Jane (Maison) Miscavage and Louis Brouwer; grandchildren, Alex (Christin) Wasemiller, Haley (Shaun) Cabral, Kyle Jensen, Julia (Austin) Armstrong, Jessica Jensen, Rebecca (Jake) Mueller, Bo Sheffield, Ellis Miscavage, Audrey Miscavage, Payton Brouwer, Phoebe Brouwer and Vaugh Brouwer; great grandchildren, Payton, Stella, Ellis, Arbor, Lillya, Felix, Ridge, Luke, Rylie, and Ingrid; brother Dan and sister Jill; as well as many nieces and nephews. In addition to his parents, Ed was preceded in death by his brothers, Dick and Gary “Max”, and his sister Kay.
A Celebration of Life will be held at Pagenkopf Funeral Home, 1165 Summit Ave., Oconomowoc, on Friday, Feb. 27, 2026, from 3 until 5 p.m. Come and share a story, enjoy a beer, snacks, or a cigar in celebration of Ed’s life!
In lieu of flowers, please make donations in Ed’s honor to Agrace Hospice or to a nonprofit of your choice.