Virginia R. Heimerl

Virginia R. ""Ginny"" Heimerl, age 84, died on September 20, 2009 at Oakwood Nursing Home. She was born September 23, 1924 to Pauline Caston and Frank C. Heimerl Sr. Ginny attended Blessed Sacrament elementary school and graduated from Edgewood High School in 1942. Ginny spent her life devoted to the arts in the Madison area and developed into a renowned painter. Ginny participated in many of the Downtown Sidewalk Art Fairs which eventually became the Art Fair on the Square.   Ginny's work was widely acclaimed taking many awards including first place in 1962, 63, 65 and 66. Later in life Ginny found satisfaction in restoration and preservation of paintings and frames from private collectors, antique dealers as well as local galleries such as Fanny Garver and the Janis Gallery.   Ginny was the primary restorer on the Joren Murals for the Madison Civic Center which was completed in 1957 by Byron Joren a professor at the UW and noted artist.   The murals were commissioned by the Bank of Madison and depicted 5 scenes of early Madison.   Put in storage by the bank during remodeling during the 70's they were donated to the Civic center in the late 90's, restored and displayed at the Civic Centers for the Wisconsin sesquicentennial project.   Ginny enjoyed greatly that her work on these precious artworks would ensure that future generations would enjoy their beauty and be enriched from viewing them. Ginny was well known in the Vilas area neighborhood where she spent her entire life residing next to Bear Mound Effigy Park and she enjoyed passing along neighborhood history through stories to her new neighbors. One such story has her taking her oil paints onto the Effigy Mound at night after a city crew came through marking a number of old oaks for clearing with orange spray paint. One tree had a crooked, bent limb which pointed to the effigy burial on the mound -- a marker tree. Ginny managed to blend her paints into a perfect match for the oak bark and cover the spray paint with no visible trace. When the cutting crew came through several days later they found no marked trees and moved on, she had saved the trees for seasons to come. Ginny is preceded in death by her parents and her older brother Frank Sam' Heimerl and is  immediately survived by her sister in law, Kathylene Katie' (Corcoran) Heimerl, six nieces and nephews; Chris(Wendy) Heimerl of Cross Plains, Tim (Faye) Heimerl of Westminster, CO, Peggy (John) Kho of Elmwood Park, IL, Kathy (Scott) Varese of Cross Plains, Steve (Nettie) Heimerl of Madison,  Doug (Tara) Heimerl of Madison, along with 18 great and 2 great-great- nieces and nephews A service will be held at Resurrection Cemetery Chapel 2705 Regent St , Friday September 25th at 10:30 A.M. with Msgr. Daniel Ganshert officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorials in Ginny's name may be made to the Hospice Care Foundation, 5395 E. Cheryl Parkway, Madison, WI 53711 or the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art 227 State Street- Attn: Jennifer Holmes-, Madison, WI 53703 or Edgewood High School Fine Arts Program 2219 Monroe St, Madison, WI 53711-1999