Nathan "Henry" Heidenreich

Henry (as many knew him) was in his element when he was wearing his Stetson hat or pulling on his Fireman’s gear. At the age of 48, Nathan “Henry” Heidenreich passed into eternity way too soon, he will be missed by many. A private family service will be held at Law Jones Funeral Home in Elizabeth, followed by a Celebration of Life gathering for friends & family at Woodbine Bend from 12 noon – 4pm Saturday, September 16, 2023 with the Fire Department Memorial service starting at 12 noon. A memorial for the development of an Emergency Responders Peer Support Program has been established in lieu of flowers.

Nathan was born December 11, 1974 in Freeport, the son of Loren and Tracy (Schiess) Heidenreich. As a kid, he was very independent, he loved music, sang in the choir, and beginning in the fifth grade participated in all the school plays and musicals all throughout junior and senior high school, graduating from River Ridge in 1993. Once he was on his own, Nathan followed in his father’s footsteps by joining the Elizabeth Fire Department. He cherished the friendships he made on the Fire Department, as an EMT for Elizabeth, on the Village Board of Elizabeth, and as a member of the Northern Illinois Southern Wisconsin Trail Ride Association.

Nathan learned the art of card playing from his Grandpa and Grandma Schiess. For several years, he could be found every Saturday morning at Dually’s playing pinochle with the guys. He was always ready to join a card game no matter what they were playing.

Nathan was always a big influence on Aaron, passing along a love of useless trivia knowledge, George Carlin’s comedy, and Bill Murray movies. Later in life the two developed a shared love for craft beer and spent hours together sampling different beers. Most of all, Nathan and Aaron loved making each other laugh by quoting movies, telling jokes, retelling stories, and giving each other a hard time.

Nathan worked as a semi-truck driver for Heffernan Trucking for several years. He also worked at several other jobs before discovering that he loved being a truck driver. He made friends with people he met through work and in his spare time.

Nathan got the name Henry when he was about three years old from his Grandpa Ray Lee. It was a Heidenreich family tradition not to call each other by their given names. The name just stuck and spread outside the family to everyone he met after that. By the time he got to junior high only his Schiess family was calling him Nathan. He truly enjoyed being Henry.

“Henry” became family with everyone he met. He was blessed to be loved by so many moms, dads, brothers, sisters, nieces, and nephews. He loved being “Uncle Henry.” He treasured his other families, especially the Dittmars, Richmonds, and the Krugs.

Nathan will be dearly missed by his mom, Tracy Heidenreich of Elizabeth; his brother, Aaron (Sara) Heidenreich of Heath, Ohio; his niece, Brynn; and his nephew, Thomas; his maternal grandmother, Bev Schiess of Freeport, and special friend, Sheri Coyier. Also, numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins; and all the rest of his families. Nathan is preceded in death by his father, Loren; paternal grandparents, Ray Lee and Beth Heidenreich; and maternal grandfather, Bob Schiess; and his beloved fur baby, Chi Chi.