Inspired by Love and Loss, One Joliet Native Makes an Extraordinary Impact for Others

Since the loss of Lisa—his partner, “Sweetie” and best friend of nine years—in November of 2021, Joliet native Bob Heinzel decided to give of himself in both time and money, keeping her memory alive in the process.

Bob began to donate his time doing grounds maintenance at St. Paul the Apostle in Joliet, his parish the entire 67 years of his life.

“I was inspired when I lost Lisa,” Bob said. “My whole life just changed. She loved gardening—I never volunteered for anything my whole life, and right after she passed away, I got inspired and I have been doing it for two years now.”

Bob spends countless hours cleaning up the 10-acre campus of St. Paul’s. While his initial goal was to give back to his faith community, he has found that he has made new friends and has a new sense of accomplishment in his life.

“There are a number of people here that say ‘thank you,’ and that is always nice to hear,” Bob said. “I go to Mass twice a week, and part of that is the fellowship of it. There are people I would see all the time, and now we talk and are friendly. I come over here and trim and weed and a variety of landscaping things and make it look nice, and I can take a step back and see what I accomplished, and I can go home feeling good in a time where there is still some sadness and grieving.”

In addition to giving of his time, Bob also created his will and made a bequest to St. Paul’s parish, the Catholic Education Foundation and the Seminarian Education Endowment Trust.

“I saw how short life can be, and it was just the time to do it,” Bob said. “I realized you can’t take it with you, and it makes me feel good to help others.

“I went from kindergarten on up at St. Paul’s, it has been my parish my whole life, and I want to continue the school and the parish, and that was why I decided to include them in my will and create the endowment with Lisa and my names. And who better to help than the seminarians, because without future priests, we wouldn’t have any of this. It is something that is really needed, and I can say that it made me feel really good knowing that my parish and other parishes will benefit from it in one way or another. It just is a good feeling.”

Bob also makes monthly donations to other charities, many of which were near and dear to Lisa’s heart. “God has truly blessed me over the years, and it fills my heart with joy to help the less fortunate people and children in this world through these charities,” Bob said. “And I know the Catholic Church will continue on with priests for years to come with the Seminarian Education Endowment Trust.”

You can strengthen the Church and leave a lasting impact on the Diocese of Joliet and our agencies through a legacy gift, just as Bob has. Contact Jane Lagger at (815) 221-6190 or Jlagger@dioceseofjoliet.org to learn more about the legacy giving options available to you.