Mary Lyman Heist Obituary

Mary (Lyman) Heist, 89, wife of the late L. C. Heist, slipped quietly away on September 22, 2020 to be with the Lord she loved.
Mary was born on September 6, 1931 on the Lyman Farm in Middlefield, Connecticut, the youngest daughter of the late John and Edna (Andersen) Lyman. She is a graduate of the Northfield School for Girls (MA), where she first met her husband (while he attended Mt. Hermon School), before attending Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY for her BS in Nursing. After graduation, Mary worked as a public health nurse for the Visiting Nurse Service of New York and the Navy Relief Society.
Mary spread joy to all those she touched and devoted her life to her passions: her family, her faith, and her community. She passionately shared the message of the Lord with those around her. The highlights of her week were hosting Bible study in her home for over 45 years and her involvements at the Presbyterian Church of Old Greenwich and Stanwich Congregational Church.
She was recognized in 1996 as the Community Leader of the Year by the Greenwich Time for her work chairing a major capital campaign for Hill house, a fixed-income housing facility for the elderly in Riverside, CT. She was also an ever-present force in the local community: serving on the Boards of the Stamford Center for the Arts, Greenwich Community Fund, Greenwich Symphony Guild, and the Youth Conservation Committee of Greenwich. She also loved teaching elementary school students about plants and other related subjects through the Junior Program of the Garden Club of Old Greenwich and preparing dinners for homeless women for St. Luke's Community Services.
In addition to her volunteer work, Mary was committed to supporting education, establishing scholarships at Northfield Mount Hermon School, Skidmore College, the University of Connecticut, and Yale University.
Mary is survived by her children, Jane H. Gamber (Scott) of New Canaan, CT, William L. Heist (Lisa) of Trumbull, CT, Peter G. Heist (Theresa) of Eads, TN, Matthew C. Heist (Adrienne) of San Carlos, CA, and her fourteen grandchildren whom she adored.
Interment will be private. Donations in her memory may be made to Stanwich Church, 202 Taconic Road, Greenwich, CT 06831 (www.stanwichchurch.org) or NMH School, The L.C. and Mary Heist Scholarship, 1 Lamplighter Way, Mt. Hermon, MA 01354 (www.nmhschool.org).