John Howard Heeter was born on September 3, 1936, in Kansas City, Kansas,  to Howard Joseph and Vivian G. (Faust) Heeter. John grew up in the suburbs of Kansas City, Missouri, on the Kansas side. He went to Kansas State University. In his younger years, John worked for the Weyerhaeuser Company (a lumber company) and then Derks, another lumber company. He then transitioned to a local lumber company in Kansas City, MO. There he decided to build houses. He was a general contractor builder for many years and then built office buildings in Overland Park , KS a suburb of the Kansas City area, while he was still building residential as well.

John loved cars and was active in the Porsche Club for several years and owned several Porches. With the love of automobiles, he purchased the Mercedes Benz Dealership in downtown Kansas City, Later he sold it and moved to Florida. Thinking he was too young to retire, he decided to move to Springfield, MO where he built residential as well as commercial warehouses. He also got his broker’s real estate license. At about this time, John’s mother was ageing and he moved back to Overland Park KS to be near his mother. After selling his mother’s home, he and his wife and mother moved to Fort Myers, FL. He and his wife Darlene got their real estate broker’s license and sold real estate in For Myers and the surrounding area. John and his wife lived there until March of 2024 and decided to move back to Springfield, MO.

John was a U.S. Army veteran of the Post WW II era serving his country in Germany. John and Darlene celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary on March 11, 2026. John was a member of Seminole Baptist Temple. John loved to attend church and his Groups Class on Sundays. John loved to participate in his small Group Bible Study twice a month. John’s interests were boating and when younger, he was an excellent Slalom skier. He boated at Pomme De Terre lake for years and then had a summer home on The Lake Of The Ozarks. While in Florida, John enjoyed boating. John’s other interests was cars, especially Porches. While belonging to the local Porche Club in the Kansas City area, he was excited to raceat Road America and other tracks in California with the Porche Club.

John was preceded in death by his parents, Howard J. Heeter and Vivian G. Heeter. John leaves behind his wife, Darlene Heeter and son, Robert E. Bulyar. John was an excellent husband and father. He was a loving and generous man.

Funeral Services will be at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, at Seminole Baptist Church, with Rev. Kevin Kolb officiating. Visitation will be one hour before services from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at the church. Burial will be at 11:00 a.m. Friday, July 3, 2026 in Johnson County Memorial Cemetery, in Overland Park, Kansas.