Barbara was the youngest of four daughters born to Emil and Jane, nee Tobinka, Wurth. When she was born, the mold was not broken, it was shattered. Barb was a spirit that forged her own path. A path mixed of joy, love, and rebellion. As a child, she would sneak out to ride with her father while he delivered milk from Wurth Dairy. Barbara left home at 16 and flew out to California and lived as a hippy. However, after meeting her husband, Edward Heet, she settled down. She always said Edward was “one of the last good and kind men”. Barb became a farmer’s wife and wove a life full of stories that her family lovingly call the “Book of Barbara.”
At the center of her story was her family. She was inseparable from her husband and did everything for her kids. Barb and her older sisters were known across Belleville as the “Wurth Girls”. Over the past 13 years she found the joy of grandchildren, Parker, Aurelia, Milana, Lilly, Atticus, and Jack, were the light of her life.
Barb endured many obstacles in her path, but she always managed to beat the odds. She learned from her failures and successes. Barb dedicated her life to helping those who struggled with addiction, poverty, and mental illness. The words of the Serenity Prayer, as well as “Let Go and Let God” kept her going. On Friday, February 11, 2022, Barb did “Let Go and Let God”. She let go more peacefully than she had done anything in her life. She let God take her and finally found her serenity.
She is survived by her husband, Edward Heet; her children, Maria (Aaron) Scarbrough and Matthew (Amy) Heet; three sisters, Mary Jane Kernan, Marlo (Bobby Donze) Wurth, and Pamela (John Vassil) Bauer; nieces and nephews, Michael Kernan, Pat Kernan, Jane Bauer Routh, Nick Bauer, Laura Stoeber, and William Stoeber; her grandchildren; and her many cousins.
Memorials may be made to Call for Help, or the Society of St. Vincent De paul Belleville, IL Council, at www.svdpsouthil.org. Condolences may be expressed to the family online at www.rennerfh.com.
Visitation: Friends may visit from 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday, February 20, 2022, at George Renner & Sons Funeral Home, Belleville, IL. Masks are required.
Funeral: Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Monday, February 21, 2022, at Valhalla Gardens of Memory Mausoleum Chapel, Belleville, IL.