Dorothy Belle (Shaw) Heckathorn

Dorothy Belle (Shaw) Heckathorn, 96, a resident at the Wesbury Retirement Community in Meadville and a lifelong Venango County resident, went home to be with the Lord while in the company of her family, on Sunday morning, June 16, 2024, at the Meadville Medical Center. Dorothy was born in Clintonville on November 15, 1927, the daughter of the late Frank and Esther (Gibson) Shaw. She was a graduate of Clintonville High School, as well as Welch’s Business School in Oil City. Dorothy was a faithful member of the Cranberry United Methodist Church for over 50 years, where she taught Sunday School and belonged to both the quilting group and the Women’s Missionary Society. She was an avid reader, and enjoyed gardening, canning and baking bread. She also volunteered with the March of Dimes and the American Cancer Society. Her life epitomized the scriptures found in Proverbs 31, and she was a devoted and loving homemaker, wife, mother, and grandmother. Dorothy married Willard C. Heckathorn in the Grace United Methodist Church in Oil City on March 12, 1949. Her husband of 68 years, Mr. Heckathorn, preceded her in death on May 30, 2017. Surviving are two sons, Bob Heckathorn and his wife Maggie, of Davidson, NC, and Jim Heckathorn and his wife Ruth, of Inman, SC; three granddaughters, Jessie Miller and her husband Jake, Rebecca Mack and her husband Kirby, and Christina Vance and her husband Will; five great-grandchildren, Mia Rose Heckathorn, Jude Miller, Lance Miller, Jesse Mack and Lily Vance; a great-great-granddaughter, Autumn Heckathorn; two sisters, Erla McDermott and her husband Chuck, of Southington, OH, and Rhonda Cubbon and her husband Art, of Oil City; as well as a number of nieces, nephews, and cousins. In addition to her parents and husband, Dorothy was preceded in death by her son Alan Heckathorn, and her four brothers: Lloyd, Alton, Billy, and Dale Shaw. Friends will be received at the Cranberry United Methodist Church, 7212 Rt. 322, Cranberry, PA, on Saturday, June 29, 2024 from 10-11 a.m. A funeral service will immediately follow at 11 a.m., officiated by Pastor Sam Marchetta, Chaplain of Wesbury Retirement Community. Interment will be in Brandon Cemetery. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Hile-Best Funeral Home, Seneca, PA. Condolences may be sent by visiting www.hilebest.com. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Wesbury Benevolent Fund, as an extension of their gratitude to everyone at the Wesbury Retirement Community for the outstanding care she received over the years.

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