O. Heila, Osmo

Osmo Olavi Heila
Age 73, of Podunk Road, Trumansburg, NY passed away peacefully at home on Thursday, November 27, 2003 with his loving family by his side.
Ozzie was born in 1930 in Vaasa, Finland, the son of Toivo and Ellen (Koskimaa) Heila. He immigrated to the United States in 1948 and first lived in Rochester, NY. He served in the U.S. Army and U.S. Army Reserve from 1951-1956 and received his Bachelors and Masters degrees in Education from the University of Rochester. He moved to Trumansburg in 1968 and has been an active resident in the community for 35 years.
He taught high school mathematics in Rochester, Interlaken, and Ithaca until the early 1970's. He was Founder and Owner of the Podunk Cross Country Ski Center from 1972 till 2003, and owner of Mehu-Liisa Products, Juice Extractors. He was also owner and operator of the Podunk Youth Hostel (AYH). He was an avid cross-country skier, an avid reader of religion, philosophy, and poetry, and active in the Boy Scouts of America. He was also an active member of the Ulysses Historical Society, Finger Lakes Finns, Trumansburg Chamber of Commerce and a friend and volunteer of the Ulysses Philomathic Library.
He is survived by his loving wife, Pirkko Anneli Heila; one daughter, Lisa Heila-Clemmens, of Ossining, NY; two sons, Chirstopher Heila, of Ithaca, Daniel Heila, of Eugene, OR; two brothers, Veikko Heila, of Turku, Finland, Mikko Heila, of Pori, Finland; one sister, Leena-Maija Niemi, of Helsinki, Finland; and four grandchildren, Sarah Clemmens, Jesse Clemmens, Ciaran Reddy, and Aodan Reddy.
There are no prior visiting hours. A memorial service in his memory will be held Saturday, December 6, at the First Presbyterian Church, in Trumansburg at 3:00PM; Chaplain Jim Geuter of Trumansburg officiating. Memorials in his memory may be made to the Ulysses Philomathic Library, P.O. Box 705, Trumansburg, NY 14886; or Finger Lakes Finns, c/o Judith Maxwell Secretary, 106 Lake Ave. Ithaca NY 14850, or Ulysses Historical Society, P.O. Box 455, Trumansburg, NY 14886. Arrangements entrusted to the care of the Ness-Sibley Funeral Home, 23 South St., Trumansburg, NY. 1-888-534-5446.

Page Submitted By: Joseph L. Sibley, Director