Patricia Heide, of Daytona Beach, Fla., passed away peacefully Tuesday, March 25, 2014, at Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center, Daytona Beach, Fla., with her husband, Ronald, of 51 years at her side. She is survived by her husband, along with their children Daniel Heide, of Daytona Beach, daughter Stefanie Heide and son-in-law Matthew Hanback, of Niles, and Brian Heide, of Chicago.

Her caring and love, and the laughter that followed her unmistakable candor will be remembered by loving family members across the country: Sister Joan Adams and husband Earl of Fort Meyers, Fla., and brother Sherman Ostrander and wife Beverly of Edwardsburg will miss Mimi Pat dearly. Her sisters and brothers in-law and their spouses, all of whom she cherished as brothers, sisters and beloved friends: Gloria Murphy and husband David of Clinton, Tenn., Ester “Peggy” Weaver, who preceded her in death, and husband Mel of Palm City, Fla., Pat Stark and husband Dave of High Point, NC, Sue Stroud and husband Skeeter of Boynton Beach, Fla., Maxine Hunter and husband Harold (deceased) of Ames, Iowa; and Donny and Peggy Berry of DeBary, Fla.; Her sweet cousins Sonnie Vaughn and Melba Bestle who she spent her childhood with, and his wife Claudine of Sutherlin, Ore.; and Aunt Ruth Ellen Freel of Redding, Calif. who was a fixture in Pat’s life, beyond what Aunt can describe. Nieces, nephews, grand nieces and nephews, cousins, lifelong friends and new friends alike will have stories and memories to share, as will her children’s closest friends and loved ones who she loved and welcomed as part of her life and family.

Pat was born in Mena, Ark. on Sept. 21, 1940. Her parents, Carl and Magdalene Ostrander, preceded her in death, as did her dogs, Samantha and Webster.

Pat was a 1958 graduate of Niles High School. She, along with her husband Ron, owned the White House Inn in Niles for 21 years where she will be remembered by hundreds, sitting at that table, behind her metal box. She opened Tans Down Under tanning salon in 1994, which she operated until 2006, where she was grateful to be able to talk to many of those same hundreds, without quite as much noise. She was also grateful to be there to see so many of her friends, and especially their children, as they grew through the years. She lived in the Niles area her entire life before moving to Ormond by the Sea in 2012, where she again became someone that everyone around would soon get to know.

She will be sadly missed by all her family and many, many friends. Cremation has taken place in Florida.

A memorial to celebrate her life will be held at a later date, and she would encourage everyone to celebrate their memories and her life in any way they see fit. Contributions in memory of Patricia may be made to the Brian Parker Memorial Foundation (http://www.brianparkerfoundation.com) at 2469 Lone Elm Street, Niles, MI 49120, or The Humane Society of Southwest Michigan (http://www.humanesocietyswm.org) at 641 S Crystal Ave, Benton Harbor, MI 49022.