Heidi Dods, 74, of Burr Ridge lost her long and courageous battle with congestive heart failure and diabetes on October 11th. Heidi was born in Crimmitschau, Germany on October 5th 1945. In 1950, her family escaped East Germany by crawling under barbed wires at night to go to a better life in the west. She then immigrated in 1960 to the United States with one of her favorite memories being seeing the Statue of Liberty as she sailed into New York Harbor. Heidi resided in Wisconsin for a few years and then moved to the Chicago area where she met the love of her life, her husband Bill. They had one daughter, Pam, and were married for 49 years. Heidi worked several jobs as soon as she moved to the United States. She was a factory worker, including a turkey bagger. She earned her GED and then was employed as a bank teller. Heidi also worked at a couple of clothing stores and eventually was made manager of a children’s clothing store before she retired to be a wonderful stay-at-home mom and homemaker. During this time, Heidi became an avid gardener. She loved filling their yard with beautiful flowers and gardens every spring. She beamed with pride whenever people complimented her on their yard. Heidi had a great love for animals and took in any stray that needed a home. She enjoyed nights at the casino with Bill dining and laughing with the many friends they met there. Things that Heidi was most proud of were her US citizenship in the 1980s…she was so proud to be an American… and her family. Her face lit up around her grandchildren and she loved to brag about them and all their activities and achievements. She truly had a heart of gold and will be missed by many, especially her husband Bill, her daughter Pam, son-in-law Kevin Rohrbacher, and grandchildren Jake, Luke and Grace. She was preceded in death by her mother Gertraude and brother Hans. Wake services will be held at Hallowell & James Funeral Home (1025 W. 55th Street, Countryside) on Thursday October 17, 4:00-8:00pm and Friday, October 18, 4:00-8:30 with a prayer service at 8:30.