Love story: They both needed a partner

Kansas City Star

April 12, 2008

I n 1960 her husband, her three children and her church were very important to Stella Hendee, 35, who lived in Kansas City, Kan. She had grown up in Armourdale and loved her home church. But she did not drive. So when her husband started working on Sundays, she had to find a church close enough to walk to.

That fall, when she and her children attended Chelsea Christian Church for the first time, the Heim family welcomed them warmly. Ruth and Kenneth Heim had four children, and three were the same ages as Stella's.

Stella and her children were inspired by Kenneth, who sang and played the cornet at the services. Then 40, he had been blind since birth, yet he lived an active and giving life. He worked at the School for the Blind, taught band instruments and piano tuning and tuned pianos in the community.

'We thought he was exceptional,' Stella says.

Then, in 1963, Stella's husband died. She had to learn to drive, and she returned to her old church. She and her children kept in occasional touch with the Heims through school events and Christmas letters. As the years passed, the families lost touch. Stella never thought about remarrying; she was too busy enjoying her family and her friends.

In November 1991, Stella came home to a telephone message from Kenneth Heim. She learned that his wife had died.

Her daughter said, 'Don't talk to him. He's looking for a wife.'

Kenneth was looking for a wife.

'I was trying to live alone, and it wasn't working,' Kenneth says. 'I thought Stella was a nice lady.'

Both Stella and Kenneth were caught up in holiday traveling, so they didn't get together until March. They renewed their friendship and began hanging out together.

Within a couple of months, they decided to get married.

In May 1992 her daughter came to town and took Stella shopping for a wedding suit. In August Kenneth and Stella were married by two of Stella's lifelong friends.

Today the couple live in Shawnee. They enjoy going out to eat, attending church and spending time with friends and family.

Stella feels predestination brought them together.

'Kenneth really needed a wife, and I enjoy taking care of people,' she says. 'My kids were grown up, and I needed someone to care for.'

Kenneth appreciates Stella's goodness and patience.

'She is always there for me,' he says.

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