Walter Elliot Heingartner

Walter Elliot Heingartner, 87, passed away peacefully on August 17, 2016, surrounded by his loving family after a short illness. The son of the late Walter Charles and Isabella Connell Heingartner, he was born in Brooklyn, New York on July 15, 1929. He attended Brown University and General Motors Institute in Michigan before taking over the family business, Kinney Motors, in Brooklyn NY in 1954. He owned and operated several automobile dealerships over the years in New York and Vermont with his brother Gerard J. Heingartner, who predeceased him in 2010. Walter was a successful automobile dealer in the New York area, and served as President of the Greater New York Dealer's Association. He purchased Lindholm Motors in Rutland, Vermont, renaming it Kinney Motors, in the early 1980's when he and his family moved to Vermont. He operated Kinney Motors, together with his three eldest children, until the early 2000's when he retired. He loved to travel, ski, play tennis and paddle tennis, and was featured in the 2013 documentary, "The Longest Game" about a group of paddle tennis friends who played the game well into their senior years at the Dorset Field Club. His love for Vermont and its beauty brought Walt, and his beloved wife, Patricia Murphy Heingartner, who predeceased him in 2012, to the Green Mountain State after raising their family of six in Garden City, New York. He was an active member of his church, Christ Our Savior Parish in Manchester, Vermont, and enjoyed the company and friendship of many of his fellow parishioners, including the Thursday Breakfast Club. His happiest moments were spent with friends and family, many of whom lived in Vermont, but those who didn't often traveled there to celebrate many special occasions with "Pops" and "Pats" over the last 35 years.He is survived by daughters Carie A. Dinnan and husband Chris, Beth M. O'Connor and husband John, and Katrina Weaver; his sons Walter C. Heingartner and Galen Arnot, Keith Heingartner and Cindy Mitrani, and Mark C. Heingartner; 18 dearest grandchildren, 1 dearest great-granddaughter, several nieces and nephews, and his two sisters in law, Murphy Gerber and husband Marc, and Judith Heingartner, all whom he cherished. A Eucharistic Mass will be celebrated in his honor on Saturday, September 10, 2016 at 11 a.m. at Chapel of the Snows in Stratton, Vermont. There are no visiting hours. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts are encouraged in his memory to the Alzheimer's Association of Vermont, Terrace Communities Foundation Inc. (Equinox Terrace), or Manchester Health Services c/o Brewster Funeral Service, PO Box 885, Manchester Center, VT 05255. A Eucharistic Mass will be celebrated in his honor on Saturday, September 10, 2016 at 11 a.m. at Chapel of the Snows in Stratton, Vermont. There are no visiting hours.