Capt. Ransford Craig “Heck” Heckert

Heckert

On August 29, 2022, Capt. Ransford Craig “Heck” Heckert, loving husband and father of four children, passed away at the age of 74.

Heck was born on May 15, 1948 in Parkersburg, WV to the late John and Grace (Rowley) Heckert. He was a 1966 graduate of Parkersburg High School and he served with the Army National Guard 1092nd as a radio specialist for six years. After the Army National Guard, Heck became a local businessman and on September 4, 1977, he married Sheila Diane Mellinger. Together, they had two daughters, Melissa + April, and their two sons, Scot and Brian. While raising their family, Heck and Diane grew their business and have been in business for over 45 years.

Heck loved his family more than life itself and he enjoyed many adventures with them. Most of those adventures included a boat, a sternwheeler, an auction/sale, or a good old fashioned road trip. No matter what the adventure was, it ended up being a great story. All of the family adventures will be lifelong memories and ones to pass on for generations to come.

Heck was a community man and he belongs to several organizations which included the American Sterwheel Association (ASA), the Great Kanawha River Navy (GKRN), Marine Corps League, Taxi Cab Association, WV Towing Association, and Junkyard Association. Even though he enjoyed being a member of all of the organizations, he was very proud and honored to serve as the ASA President and pinned as a GKRN Fleet Admiral.

Those left behind to cherish his memory include his wife of 45 years, Diane; his children, Melissa (John) Albertson of Ridge, MD, April Binkney of Parkersburg, WV, Scot (Heather) Heckert of Parkersburg, WV, and Brian (Susan) Heckert of Parkersburg, WV; his grandchildren, Christopher, Ashleigh, Daniel, Ryan, Andrew, Adam, Maya, Jared, Joseph, Ciarra, Madison, Dakota, Michaela, Hunter, Dylan, Brian, Brianna, Tristian, Maranda, Levi; his great-grandchildren, David, Christina, Edan, Waylon, Audrina, Aislyn, Zander, Bryson, Tanner, Cohen, Jameson, Avery, Hadley, Beckham, Hendrix, Preston, Chevelle, Holton, Myla, Karter, and Alivia.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his granddaughter, McKayla Heckert, and son-in-law, Scott Binkney.

Visitation will be 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday September 2, 2022 at Sunset Memorial Funeral Home. Funeral service will be by invitation only on the P.A. Denny, giving Heck one last ride down the river. An online guestbook for condolences is available at www.sunsetparkersburg.com.

Sunset Memorial Funeral Home is honored to assist the Heckert family.