The family of Bill Heeman says he has been "upgraded to head grower in Heaven."
The founder of Heeman's Strawberry Farm and Garden Centre died on Wednesday. He was 83.
In a statement on the Heeman's website, the family says he came to Canada with his wife Susan after a brief courtship in Holland. After stops in London, Toronto, and Alexandria, the pair settled on a farm on Nissouri Rd. just north of Dundas St. and started their berry growing operation.
"Bill served as the conscience of Heeman’s, always adding keen insights and helping guide our journey under his watchful eye," the statement said. "Whether it was walking the berry fields and always telling us to pick more or checking to make sure plants were transplanted properly and we had enough patio pots on hand for sale in the summer."
The Heeman family said a memorial wall will be installed by the coffee shop at the berry farm, where people wanting to share memories can write a note and put it on the mural wall.
Visitation will be held at Brock and Visser Funeral Home in Thamesford on Monday, July 3 from 6pm to 8pm.
The funeral service will be held Tuesday at 11am at St. Patrick's Parish on Oakland Ave. in London.
