Obituary of Verna L. Engstrom-Heg

ALBANY –

On May 25th, 2025, Verna Engstrom-Heg passed away peacefully at the age of 95.  She was under the care of Hospice and her family.  Her son, Leif Engstrom-Heg, was at her side when she passed in a home filled with family. 

Verna was born in Spokane Washington in 1930.  The child of disabled parents, she learned at an early age that she would have to, in her words, “fend for herself.”  Her father sustained catastrophic injuries in an industrial accident when Verna was young, and the family supported itself on a monthly workers’ compensation award of $50 and her mother’s sporadic earnings as a chamber maid.  She was raised in the Spokane immigrant community and her local Methodist Church. 

Her teachers recognized her intelligence as early as middle-school and encouraged her to consider college.  A small inheritance from a maternal aunt allowed her to afford tuition at the University of Washington where she met her husband, Robert Heg, her biology lab partner.  They were married in Seattle in 1954 and remained married until Robert’s death in 1999.  They both assumed the hyphenated name “Engstrom-Heg” in 1954.  She earned her bachelor’s degree in mathematics from UW and did her graduate work at Oregon State and Syracuse University. 

In 1966 she took the position of professor of mathematics at SUNY Oneonta, a position that she remained in until her retirement in 1996, after which she continued teaching as an adjunct.   

A lifelong activist for social justice, Verna was an active member of the Methodist Federation for Social Action, was conference treasurer for the United Methodist Women and travelled to the Isreal, the West Bank and Gaza with the Christian Peacemaker Teams. 

She loved swimming in her pond in North Franklin, the Hartwick College swimming pool, Gilbert Lake State Park, and Master’s Swimming competitions across the country and internationally.  She cross country skied into her late 80’s. 

She is survived by her sons, Leif Engstrom-Heg & Martin (Megan) Donnelly-Heg, her grandsons, Venn and Carson Engstrom Heg, her granddaughters, Coralee and Holly Donnelly-Heg, and Taylor Clark. 

A memorial service will be held at 3pm on Saturday, July 12th at the First United Methodist Church in Oneonta. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Methodist Federation for Social Action.

Fond memories and expressions of symapthy may be shared with the Engstrom-Heg Family, online at: SimpleChoicesCremation.com