W. Heiser

Obituary of W. Wayne Heiser

DELMAR - W. Wayne Heiser, 91, passed away peacefully on Friday, May 26,, 2017 at Teresian House.

Born July 29, 1925 in Alcester, South Dakota, he was the son of the late Adolph and Louise Heiser. He spent the first eighteen years of his life in a small rural town until 1943, when he began serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II, where he was stationed in Okinawa. Following the war, he attended the University of Nebraska, where he received a bachelor’s degree in geography in 1950 and a master’s degree in geography in 1952.  

Following college, he held a number of positions in which he put his expertise in geography to use. Among his work experiences were as a teacher on a military base in England and a professor at Portland State University, Indiana University and Towson State University. He earned his Ph.D. in geography in 1965 from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. 

In the mid-1960s he worked for the Central Intelligence Agency in Langley, Virginia, where he gathered, processed, and analyzed national security information during the height of the Cold War. Wayne’s first love was being a geography professor, so he accepted a position as a professor at the University at Albany in 1968, where he taught until his retirement in 1991. 

Wayne married Mary J. Noble on June 11, 1955, who predeceased him Sept. 1, 2004. Survivors include his children, David Heiser, Sarah Pulsifer (Terry) and Paul Heiser; grandchildren, LeeAnn and Kyle Pulsifer; and several nieces and nephews. In addition to his wife and parents, he was predeceased by two brothers, Keith and Gordon Heiser.

Wayne was a devoted family man who adored his wife, children and grandchildren. Among his greatest passions were listening to classical music and rooting on his beloved Nebraska Cornhuskers football team.

Relatives and friends are invited to call on Wednesday, May 31st from 4 to 7 pm at Applebee Funeral Home, 403 Kenwood Ave., Delmar.  A funeral service will be held on Thursday, June 1st at 11:00 am at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 16 Elsmere Ave., Delmar.  Those who wish may send a remembrance in his name to the Alzheimer’s Association of NENY, 4 Pine West Plaza, Ste 405, Albany, NY 12205.

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Wednesday
31
May

Visitation

4:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Wednesday, May 31, 2017
Applebee Funeral Home
403 Kenwood Avenue
Delmar
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