Shana Heimerl

MADISON- Shana Julien Heimerl, age 25, died on Tuesday, February 10, 2015, after taking her own life. Shana was born on June 28, 1989 in Madison, the only child of Julie Buckmaster and Robert Heimerl. Shana will be remembered by her family and friends as a truly kind-hearted person, gentle and compassionate, always willing to listen and share, and to go to any lengths to take care of others' needs. She loved to laugh and was always looking for ways to share humor and bring the joy of laughter to the hearts of others. Shana was a talented and accomplished violist, a valued member of Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestra (WYSO,) and performed in many small and large ensemble concerts on the UW-Madison music campus. At age 16, Shana performed in some of the finest concert halls in Europe with WYSO, and also performed with the GEMS quartet in Uruguay. Shana studied the Japanese language and lived in Japan as part of the Madison Country Day School Student Exchange Program. While a student in Fashion Marketing at Madison College, Shana had recently taken up painting and her work over just a short period of time revealed another area of wonderful talent and creativity. Like her mother, she had an extraordinary talent for and passionate love of language, art and poetry. Shana's beautiful spirit is a strong and steady light shining through the darkness that led to her death, a loving beacon for us to follow as we make our way through this wilderness of mourning. May she be at peace. In the words of her 12-year-old cousin, Alexander Schweitzer; "Shana was a good friend and like a sister to me. Sometimes we went out of our way to annoy each other but I still loved her a lot." Shana is survived by her grandparents, Jim and Shirley Buckmaster of Waunakee; her sister, Liz (Jim Lubbe) Heimerl of Platteville; brother, Phil (Georgi) Heimerl of Verona; her aunt, Laine (Henry) Buckmaster of Sun Prairie; stepmother, Diana Heimerl of Madison; cousins, Alexander Schweitzer of Waunakee and Valerie Yelk of Milwaukee; niece, Lisa (Shawn) Schwoegler of Madison; niece, Leah (Dan) Fink of Madison; and nephew Sam Lubbe and niece Mae Lubbe of Platteville. She was preceded in death by her parents, Julie Buckmaster and Robert Heimerl; her brothers, Gary Heimerl and Jason Heimerl; and her uncle, Brian Buckmaster. A Celebration of Shana's life will be held at 1:00 PM on Sunday, February 22, 2015 at Cress Funeral Home, 3325 E. Washington Avenue, Madison. Friends may greet the family from 11:00 AM until the time of services Sunday at the funeral home. Please share your memories.
Cress Funeral Service
3325 E. Washington Avenue
Madison, WI 53704
(608) 249-6666