Roxann Mary Heffelfinger
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Roxann Mary Heffelfinger, 73, longtime Anacortes resident, quilter, and educator, passed away peacefully at her home on October 11, 2021, after a three-year struggle with cancer.
She was born on May 14, 1948, to Frank and Rose (Vanderzanden) Meeuwsen in Banks, OR. After graduating with honors from St. Mary's of the Valley Academy in 1966, she attended the University of Portland where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education (cum laude) in 1970. She went on to specialize in the Orff method while teaching in Klamath Falls, OR before accepting a position in Anacortes in 1972. In 1975, she received a teaching certification for gifted education from Western Washington University.
Roxann served the Anacortes School District for 40 years, first as a music teacher and later as a co-founder of the Challenge Program, a uniquely designed immersive elementary school curriculum for gifted students from 1st-6th grade. She was a talented and dedicated teacher, remembered for her creativity, humor, and high standards. Whether serving as the President of the Anacortes Education Association teacher's union or the Emcee of the annual Island View Spelling Bee, she brought passion and joy to the lives of her students and colleagues.
Along with her teaching partner Pat Burleson, colleagues from the National Consortium for Teaching About Asia (NCTA), and East Asia Resource Center, she traveled to Japan in order to build a curriculum that facilitated education about East Asia in elementary classrooms. A Fulbright grant gave her the opportunity to return and develop a new series on traditional Japanese textile arts, a favorite motif in her quilting. Outside of school she traveled with and mentored students in the Sister Cities program to the city of Kisakata (Nikaho), Japan.
A committed advocate for the arts, she was a longstanding member of the Anacortes School District Cultural Education Program, Anacortes Youth Arts, Anacortes Arts Festival youth programs, the Washington Alliance for Arts Education, and helped develop the Museum of Northwest Art Link comprehensive arts program. In her retirement, she served as the President of the Fidalgo Island Quilters guild and a board member of the Pacific Northwest Quilt and Fiber Arts Museum.
She leaves behind a magnificent legacy: between 1972 and her retirement in 2012, she shaped the minds of over 1,200 Anacortes students. She was more than just a teacher: she was a parent, a friend, an artist, and a lifelong learner and mentor. Her influence is immeasurable, and her presence absolutely irreplaceable.
Roxann is survived by her husband of 31 years, Peter Heffelfinger; daughter Antonia Heffelfinger (with Matt Hagen); stepdaughters: Mimosa Spencer-Ranjard and Katy May Spencer; grandchildren Ernest, Lucy, and Josephine Ranjard; and siblings Sally Shumway, Dean, and Ellen Meeuwsen. She is preceded in death by her parents and brother, Harvey.
At this time no memorial is planned, but an event to commemorate her life will be held at a future date. Many thanks to staff, nurses, and doctors at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance for their endless care and expertise. Donations may be made in her name to the Anacortes Schools Foundation, the Anacortes Arts Festival, the Pacific Northwest Quilt and Fiber Arts Museum, or the Museum of Northwest Art.
To share memories of Roxann, please sign the online guestbook at www.evanschapel.com