Gwendolyn “Gwen” Juanita Heinkel 89, Springfield, MO. passed away Sunday, June 27, 2021, after a long illness. Gwen was born in Springfield, MO. on May 17, 1932, to Charles and Alma (Reed) Rippee. She was a retired seamstress and a member of Central Assembly Of God Church. Gwen was a very talented woman, she had a long career which included many jobs. She formerly worked as a cook at Evangel College, she worked in pottery shops, she did babysitting, and her and her late husband, Harley, owned the first Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Dealership in Springfield, MO. In her spare time, Gwen enjoyed knitting, bowling, crocheting, her flowers, crafts, and she was a member of the Red Hat Club.
Gwen was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Harley, in 1985, (They were married on February 2, 1951), She is survived by her two daughters: Linda Highfill and her husband, Steve, and Donna Evans and her husband, Ronny, five grandchildren: Christy Baldassari and her husband, Ryan, Amanda Maher and her husband, Zach, Robert Evans, Todd Highfill, and Justin Evans, five-great-grandchildren and one brother: Glendon Rippee.
Funeral services will be at 3:00 p.m. Thursday, July 1, 2021, in Greenlawn Funeral Home North, with burial to follow, in Greenlawn Memorial Gardens. Visitation will be one hour before services, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the funeral home.