Getting to Know You!
Each month we’ll feature a St. John’s member so we can get to know each other better.
Getting to know you: Susan Heidtke
Heritage, home, and heart are the embodiment of Susan Heidtke, with love and pride for the longstanding Heidtke heritage in her home and family, at St. John’s, and in the community.
The Heidtke family farm and homestead (Est. 1846), about a mile west of church, has been Susan’s home her entire life, making her the fifth generation there. Her heart is in this home. Brother Keith still farms the land, and Susan helps where she can, as does their brother Joel. Older sister Gail is a retired pastor living in Illinois. Their parents, Fred and Janet, were active and loving members of St. John’s.
Susan’s two brothers make it possible for her to stay at the homestead, as they tend to the maintenance issues—but not lawn mowing! She welcomes her nieces, nephews, grandnieces, and grandnephews with her whole heart when they come to visit and help, and is pleased they’re part of the heritage.
Like those Heidtkes before her, Susan is a lifelong member of St. John’s, and grew up faithfully attending church and participating in a variety of ministries such as Ruth Circle, the quilting group, choir, and various committees and activities. She taught Sunday School and was the Sunday School superintendent for many years. This congregation and church family are an important and special part of her life and heart.
Susan worked as a legal assistant her entire career; first for a general practitioner and then for an attorney who specialized in family law. Ironically, despite having a couple different employers, her “work home” ended up being in the same quaint downtown Cedarburg building. She was also a court clerk in Family Court for weekly divorce hearings. Susan retired early to care for her father at home after the sudden death of her mom.
The St. John’s quilting group and sewing are favorite pastimes. Three generations have sewn quilts for Lutheran World Relief: Susan’s maternal grandmother, Louise Hill; her mother, Janet; and her. During the COVID lockdown, Susan found a quilt top her grandmother started but wasn’t able to complete. Then Janet worked on it but again didn’t finish it. Susan completed it with the fabric squares her grandmother had cut and sorted. A lap quilt sewn by hand, by three generations, with plenty of stiches, love, and heart—a lovely reminder of the Heidtke heritage.©
Fun Facts:
• Susan LOVES love, and hearts are her signature trademark. She sincerely believes Valentine’s Day should be a national holiday.
• 1-2-3-4-5-6: Though she never moved, Susan attended six different elementary and high schools.
• U-RAH-RAH!—Susan was a pom-pom girl at Germantown High School and the only senior to make the team that year.
• Come sit a while: Susan has a “thing” for benches: eight in her yard and three in her house, with the entry bench built by Keith from a twin bedframe their dad and grandfather used.
