Heide Marie Doescher Hansen

Heide Marie Doescher Hansen, affectionately known to her family as O, passed away May 21st, 2024 after a long, courageous battle with rheumatoid arthritis having been diagnosed at the young age of 26. Heide was born April 27, 1945 in war tom Germany in a small town 33 kilometers outside of Hamburg after being displaced due to the Allied bombing of her father’s family home in Hamburg, Germany. After eight long years and with the help of her American uncle and an American family friend, the family, including Heide, her mother, Elizabeth Gay Doescher, and two sisters, Mimi and Sanne, were rescued; listed as passengers 120 -123, they sailed under President Truman’s directive on the SS Marine Flasher, from Bremerhaven, Germany on May 11th, 1946, arriving at New York on May 20, 1946. Their final destination was her mother’s family home in Cuthbert, GA. Their harrowing story of survival was captured in a four-part series written by journalist Margar et Shannon of The Atlanta Journal. The experience of their early childhood years forged a bond between the three sisters and their mother that lasted a lifetime. Heide and her family moved to the Emory neighborhood of Atlanta, GA in 1954 where Heide graduated from Druid Hills High School in 1963. She attended Marsh Draughon Business School. In June of 1972, she began a 38 year career in the Emory Healthcare system as an Admissions Coordinator. This career suited her perfectly; she was able to care for others while using her business skills and knowledge of the healthcare industry to help patients navigate the complex insurance system. It was not uncommon for patients to offer her token gifts of appreciation for the hard work she did on their behalf; although she graciously refused the gifts due to hospital protocols, it warmed her heart to know that she could make a difference in someone’s life during a difficult time. Despite her long career, Heide’s greatest joy in life was raising her two girls, Lisa and Katrina. After a ten year marriage to Neil Hansen, Heide devoted her life to providing for her girls despite enormous hardship as a single mother with a debilitating disease. Heide refused to let her illness or misfortune define her life. She had a faith in God that carried her through the vagaries of her life. She never questioned why she bore a disproportionate share of hardship. She saw everyday as a gift from God. She took profound comfort in her girls and her grandchildren. Heide never met a stranger, and if she saw someone was in need, she found a way to help. If a friend needed her last twenty dollars, she gave it without question. Despite her ravaged body, she had an unparalleled strength of spirit and physical fortitude. Her family is lost without her but finds strength in the example she led and comfort in knowing that her physical suffering is over.

Heide was predeceased by her father, Max Christoph August Doescher, and mother, Elizabeth Gay Doescher Estes, and bother-in-law, William T. Morris. She is survived by her sisters, Sanne Morris and Mimi Brandt (Pete Brandt); her ex-husband, Neil Hansen; daughters, Lisa Marie Head (Mark Head) and Katrina Hansen Voegtlin (Stewart Voegtlin Jr.); and grandchildren, Arianna Driesse (Ryan Driesse), Madison Head, and Trey Voegtlin.

A Celebration of Life will take place at 2 p.m., Saturday, June 1st at Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church on the campus of Emory University.