Heather Ann Bleick, 34, of Anchorage, Alaska, died on April 22, 2015, in Anchorage. Heather was born on Feb. 3, 1981, in Green Bay to James and Jean (Druckrey) Bleick. She attended St. Paul Lutheran School, Bonduel, grades 1-8, graduated with honors from Bonduel High School in 1999 and was the secretary of her senior class. She had volunteered at the Bonduel Village Vet Clinic during her high school years.
Heather graduated cum laude from St. Norbert College, De Pere, with a Bachelor of Science degree in 2004 and also qualified for a business degree. Her adviser said it wasn’t possible to have such different fields and complete coursework in four years, but she did it. She received the Field Geologist Award, was past president of the Geology Club and participated in the Army ROTC Program for 2½ years while attending SNC. She was recognized among the battalion of 100 or so cadets for academic achievement, physical fitness, teamwork and superb leadership. She earned the ROTC’s most prestigious award that recognizes overall excellence in leadership as a sophomore. Her superior officer, Maj. Paul Chamberlain, wrote a special letter of recommendation for Heather to be accepted into graduate studies at Kent State University in Ohio. Professor Jim Puckette from Oklahoma State University also wrote a letter of recommendation. In his letter he stated she definitely has the intellectual capacity and personality traits necessary to complete a Ph.D. She then attended Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, from 2003-2005 and graduated Aug. 12, 2005, with a Master of Science degree.
Heather was an extremely determined young woman who studied and worked very hard. She received an award at a national conference for her work in geology. After graduation from Vanderbilt, she worked at William and Mary College in Williamsburg, Virginia, for one year on a project in the Chesapeake Bay. The following summer, she worked on Mount Desert Island in Maine for the park service as a ridge runner. The fall of 2006, she and her sister, Michelle, drove to Anchorage, Alaska, where Heather started working for the U.S. Geological Survey and met the love her life, Dr. Peter Cervelli. They were married at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Bonduel on Aug. 2, 2009. They lived in Alaska and California. They enjoyed the study of volcanoes, and what better place to be than in the Western U.S. and Alaska working for the U.S. Geological Survey. St. Norbert College Alumni Magazine also did a story about her and her work in the summer in 2009 issue.
Heather especially loved all animals, including her cat, Leopard. She loved her cats Winston and Samantha, both of which preceded her in death. She dearly loved and studied meerkats, and Peter made arrangements just prior to their relocation to Alaska for a special VIP tour at the Palm Springs Zoo to feed and play with the African meerkats.
She was a published author in the geology field, and very much enjoyed the outdoors. She took trips to the Boundary Waters area in Northern Minnesota, climbed at least six 14,000-foot mountains in the Western USA and Alaska, all while collecting rock samples and mapping the areas she hiked.
She enjoyed spending time with her family on many special trips, as well as fishing and deer hunting. She loved to cook many different flavorful, healthy recipes.
Heather is survived by her husband, Peter Cervelli, Anchorage, Alaska; her parents, Jim and Jean Bleick, of Pulaski; sister, Michelle (special friend, David Luepke) Bleick, of Bonduel; father and mother-in-law, Gene and Joan Cervelli, Paradise Valley, Arizona; grandmother, Marge Bleick, of Cecil; brother and sister in-law, Dan and Annie Cervelli, Mountain View, California; brother-in-law, Chris Cervelli, Denver, Colorado; niece and nephew, Phoebe and Malcom Cervelli, Mountain View, California; aunts and uncles, Jerry and Priscilla Druckrey, Mike and Joan Druckrey, Mary and Bill Kupersmith, Linda and John Wallrich, Ruth and Steve Klein, and Jeffrey Suski. She is further survived by her godchild and cousin, Hope Suski; first cousins, Todd, Ted and Jenny Druckrey, Jenny and Josh Wallrich, David (Debbie) Suski and Luke Suski; as well as many other relatives and friends.
Heather was preceded in death by her maternal grandparents, Ed and Evelyn Druckrey; paternal grandfather, Bob Bleick; and first cousin, Matthew Suski.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. May 2, 2015, at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Bonduel with the Rev. Timothy J. Shoup officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery. Visitation will be held at the church on Friday, May 1, 2015, from 4-8 p.m. and again on Saturday from 10 a.m. until the time of the service.
In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund is being established.
Swedberg-Wendt Funeral Home is assisting the family with the arrangements.
Today we grieve for the loss of such a special and gifted young woman. We remain firm in our belief in the triune God who sent his own son to die and was resurrected for the redemption of our sins. We look forward to seeing her again on the day of resurrection, may we all take comfort in that knowledge. Heather was the most kind, compassionate, loving, humble, sharing and caring person we have ever had the privilege of knowing. She loved the simple things in life, while touching and enriching the lives of so many people during the course of her life, including the people she met at St. Norbert College, Vanderbilt University, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Graf Creamery, her grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews and all of her friends.
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