Jerry E. Hein

Jerry Edward Hein passed away peacefully at home on August 6, 2026, with his beloved wife, Patricia, at his side. In the week before his passing, he had been blessed with family surrounding him, telling stories, laughing, and sharing years of fond memories.

Jerry was born June 16, 1950, in Ellensburg, Washington, and grew up in Roslyn. He graduated from Cle Elum High School in 1968. As a teenager, he went to work in the newly acquired family business, Shoemaker Manufacturing. With his father Rudy’s vision and Jerry learning the trade from the ground up, the business soon outgrew its Roslyn location in the NWI Building. They relocated Shoemaker to Cle Elum in the Port District Industrial Park, at the former location of Miller Lumber.

Jerry poured himself into the business and learned every part of it. In June 1972, he graduated from Central Washington State College with a degree in business and was back at work the next day, not missing a beat.

Over the years, Jerry continued to grow the family business, eventually bringing his own children into it to carry on the family tradition. But to Jerry, success was about more than building a successful company. It meant being able to take care of his family, his employees, and the community he loved.

Jerry was widely known as a fair and generous man who invested in people. He built a workforce of men and women who respected his work ethic and, in return, gave him their loyalty and their best. His customers knew they were valued, and Jerry took pride in producing high-quality registers, grilles, and diffusers in a very competitive HVAC industry. The relationships he built—with employees, customers, and the community—mattered deeply to him.

In the summer of 1975, Jerry met Patricia Fennerty. They married six months later, beginning a partnership that would span more than 50 years. Patricia was his match—smart, capable, and by his side through the years of building businesses, raising their three children, and eventually discovering one of Jerry’s greatest joys, being a grandfather. His seven grandchildren brought him tremendous happiness over the last 19 years of his life. Jerry also had a lifelong appreciation for classic cars, with a particular love for the 1964½ Ford Mustang. In his later years, he especially treasured the time he and Patricia spent together on Maui, a place that became very special to him.

Two years after his father, Rudy, passed away, the Hein Legacy Foundation was created, formalizing decades of giving back to the community Jerry loved. Initially focused heavily on scholarships, the Foundation grew to support community grants and numerous local enhancement projects while continuing to help local students pursue a college education. For Jerry, giving back was not separate from his success; it was part of what success was for.

Later in his adult life, Jerry became a Catholic, and his faith became an important part of who he was and how he approached life. Multiple sclerosis brought significant physical challenges in his later years, including nearly 20 years in a wheelchair, but Jerry never wanted those challenges to define him. His faith gave him strength and resilience, and the attitude with which he approached each day was an inspiration to those around him.

Throughout his life, Jerry would ask himself at the end of the day, “Did I do the best that I can do?” If the answer was no, he learned from it and tried again the next day. With the mind of an engineer and the heart of a shepherd, Jerry carried on, always trying to be better than he had been the day before.

He leaves behind a family and a community made better by the life he lived.

“Well done, my good and faithful servant.”

Jerry was preceded in death by his parents, Rudy Edward Hein and Patti Jo Hein. He is survived by his wife, Patricia; daughter Claire (Beau) Nicholls and their children, Norah and Nellie; son John (Penny) Hein and their children, Carter and Addison; daughter Annemarie (Zack) Hill and their children, Charlotte, Patrick, and Audrey; and sister Judy (Joey) Graham and family.

Vigil & Rosary will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 16, 2026 at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Cle Elum. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, August 17 also at St. John’s. Private family interment will follow at Laurel Hill Memorial Park with a reception to follow that same afternoon starting at 1:00 p.m. at the Cle Elum Senior Center.

Memorial contributions in Jerry’s honor are suggested to the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Columbia Basin—Cle Elum site, in support of the capital campaign for the Cle Elum Community Hub, c/o Ann Leichleiter, PO Box 1167, Kittitas, WA 98934 or online by clicking here.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Johnston & Williams of Cle Elum. You are invited to leave condolences for the family at www.johnston-williams.com