Charles William “Bill” “Charlie” Heath, 75, of Colon, NE, entered into rest on Friday, October 2, 2020 at South Haven Living Center in Wahoo, NE.  He was born July 3, 1945 in Broken Bow, NE to Clinton and Mary (Sanborn) Heath.

Charles graduated from Broken Bow High School in 1963 and Chadron State College in January of 1968 with a degree in History. He worked in the hayfields in the sandhills during high school and college.

In 1968, Charles was drafted into the U.S. Army.  He took his basic training at Ft. Lewis, Washington, followed by AIT, then did a 90 day duty service at Fort Lee, Virginia.   Early in 1969 he went to Vietnam, working as a supply clerk at Camp Eagle for helicopter maintenance, attached to the 101st airborne.  He was home on leave in February 1970, going back to Vietnam in March for 6 more months. He then worked as a supply clerk in Saigon.  In late August or in September 1970 Charlie was back in the United States and was given a 150 day early-out because he had served a hardship tour.

After returning he lived in Lincoln, NE, working in insurance sales, then went to Denver and did furniture delivery.  Sometime during 1971 he was back in Broken Bow working and in 1973 moved to Aurora, NE where he worked at a plant as a purchasing agent.  Leaving there he worked at Fontanelle Hybrids, in Aurora, until the building burned and he was transferred to Fontanelle Hybrids in Fremont, NE at some time in 1977 or 1978.   He worked for Fontanelle Hybrids until he retired.  In the winters after a workplace accident in the summer of 1994 he did work in the lab at Fontanelle, and in the summer he worked as an information attendant for the State of Nebraska, at an interstate rest area at Seward, NE.

On August 16, 1980, Charles was married to Janet Ann Tillotson at the Stuhr Museum in Grand Island, NE.  Janet died on January 6, 2004.  Charlie loved old cars, history, genealogy, travel, and most of all his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Charlie and Jan traveled often, sometimes taking their grandchildren along on their trips.  They worked together to gather Heath Family history and genealogy, and to create information and photo books for family members.

He is survived by children, Vicki (John) Ruzicka of Colon, NE and Michael Schmit of Cedar Bluffs, NE; grandchildren, Melissa (Jim) Lepore, Megan Walker, Molly (Cory) Allely, Tyler Ruzicka, Jake Ruzicka, Tatsiahna Schmit and Alexzander Schmit; great-grandchildren, Audrie, Maison, Payton, Nathan and Gage Lepore, Emilee and Elliot Walker, Connor, Bradley, Hunter, Amillya and Harrison Allely; siblings, Bob (Patti) Heath of Claytonia, NE, Betty (Tom) Langrud of Broken Bow, NE, Burton (Maggie) Heath of Creston, NE.

He was preceded in death by his parents and wife Janet.