Huntsman, Heidi

Heidi Huntsman, our dearly beloved daughter, sister, and 
friend passed away Wednesday, May 26th, 2010, after an 
extended illness. She was 29. Heidi was born July 16, 1980, in 
Boise, Idaho, the second of five children of Bob and Lily 
Huntsman. She was bald for most of her first two years of 
life, and had to endure a bow glued to her head for much of 
the time because her dad wanted everyone to know she was 
a girl. Fortunately, her hair finally grew in and she was a 
lovely child. She was originally best friends with her big 
brother Scott until her little brother Matt came along and 
relegated Scott to "next best friend" status. Unlike her 
brothers, who cried buckets when they were first introduced 
to the nursery at church, Heidi waved goodbye to her mom 
and proceeded take charge of the situation, a characteristic 
which proved useful to her later in life. Heidi was at times 
motherly with her siblings and at other times a tease. She 
hounded Mom and Dad for a baby sister, only to be 
disappointed with two baby brothers, Matt and Tim. 
Eventually, to her delight, sister Wendy came along. Although 
their 13 year age difference posed some difficulties, Heidi 
quickly figured out if she pinched baby Wendy at church, 
they could both go out to the hall which proved to be a 
mutually satisfactory arrangement. Although Heidi found 
school to be generally boring, she was a pretty good student 
and surprised her family when she hit the books hard her 
senior year to graduate a year early from Meridian High 
School with her older brother Scott. She attended college 
first at the University of Idaho, and then at the University of 
Hawaii, concluding that the beaches at Waikiki in Hawaii were 
more conducive to scholarly achievement than scenic 
Moscow, Idaho. Unfortunately, her grades did not support 
this theory, and although she completed nearly four years of 
college, she never quite got over being a senior. Heidi loved 
sports and played basketball, soccer and softball. Those who 
saw her play basketball will remember her unique drive to 
the basket which is very hard to describe in words and 
worked best when the referees were looking the other way. 
Heidi had a passion for music, a passion which, unfortunately, 
tended to exceed her ability. She played the violin, took 
piano lessons, and played the guitar - in fact many guitars, 
going through them like toothpicks. She liked to sing and 
her boisterous voice was one that was easy to pick out from 
the crowd. Heidi's attractive looks and quick wit made her a 
"boy magnet", a quality she honed to perfection. Her family 
recalls her ordering her Marine boyfriend around Disneyland 
on a family vacation which apparently made him long to 
return to active duty where he didn't have to work so hard. 
Heidi's last years, unfortunately, were troubled and chaotic, 
as she battled unsuccessfully with substance abuse issues 
which eventually took her young life. During a very chaotic 
time, she discovered she was pregnant, and recognizing she 
would be unable to take care of a baby, she spent 
considerable time and effort trying to locate suitable parents 
for her unborn baby. Through fortuitous circumstances, she 
met Melissa and Greg Dickson, who had the courage to 
accept the yet unborn baby into their home, understanding 
that it was unlikely the baby would be healthy. Heidi gave 
birth to a beautiful but sick baby girl, and, for the good of 
the baby, allowed the Dicksons to adopt baby Makenna, 
who, fortunately recovered from her birth illness and is a 
happy healthy five-year-old girl with a mom and dad who 
love her very much. Unfortunately, Heidi suffered congestive 
heart failure as a result of giving birth, a condition from 
which she never recovered. Heidi is survived by her 
daughter, Makenna Dickson, her parents Bob and Lily 
Huntsman of Boise Idaho, three brothers Scott, Matt and Tim 
and a sister, Wendy. Funeral services will be held at the LDS 
Church at 12040 West Amity Road, Boise, Idaho, on Saturday, 
May 29th at 1 p.m.

Published in Idaho Statesman on May 28, 2010