This scholarship fund is dedicated to and in memory of one of the champions of Classical Homeschooling in our area, Dana Heidelberger.
Donations to the DHFAF are tax deductible.
Dana Heidelberger was a giver.
She gave of herself, her wisdom, and her time. She generously shared her joy, compassion, determination, and her faith and confidence in the Lord throughout her beautiful life. Dana was sensible, practical, and sincere. She had a quiet clarity that was deep like a river when she invited you in to glimpse the depth of her understanding and confidence.
Dana was more than a giver, she was also an encourager and a friend.
She made you feel like you were the most important person in the room when she was speaking to you. She brought humor and unedited “Are you crazy(s)?!” (I heard that a lot) whenever we raised questions that exposed our own self doubts. She always had an encouraging ready reply to our defeated and often times overwhelmed perspectives as she showed us God’s own unrelenting love for us, despite our failings. She saw the best in others and earnestly shared her perspective when asked. She shared herself with anyone who sought her advice, be it homeschooling moms – or parents who were curious about homeschooling. She was generous with her wisdom, guidance, and encouragement as she cheered many of us along our homeschooling journey, through the highs and the lows.
Dana was an educator.
Dana’s regard for education and love for all things Charlotte Mason led her and Todd to name their home Ambleside. She had a keen sense of balance and structure for her children's days, careful to never involve them in too many activities so they could actually “home”-school. She loved Mrs. Sharp’s traditions- a book many of you may know - from which she quickly shared many ideas for engaging the imaginations of little ones especially through the excitement of the “rainy day box”. And music could be heard many hours of the day as her children practiced and mastered songs on the violin, piano, and guitar. She relished celebrating the lives of her 4 children and cherished the time God gave her to watch them grow and mature into the responsible, kind, and loving adults they are today.
But Dana was more than an educator - she was also a learner.
A lover of books, Dana loved to read aloud to her children. She especially enjoyed planning meaningful field trips where she would read related paragraphs or chapters whether in Boston on the Revolutionary trail or Minnesota reading at the site of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s House on Plum Creek - wearing a bonnet and standing on the exact rock where the Ingalls girls played beside the creek. Dana loved to get into character to bring a scene to life.
Dana was devoted.
Her dedication to her family resulted in the joint-crafting of an education that set all of her children on paths of success for their adult years. That same education she designed with her compatriots, Judy and Cindy, unexpectedly contributed to the blessing of over 400 families these past 20 years - a feat and blessing she would quickly credit God as the author and enabler.
Dana was not only devoted, she was a curious lover of nature.
She elevated the standards of curiosity and her love of nature through her many hours spent outdoors with her young children, raising llamas, chickens, pigs, goats, cats and dogs to name a few. I vividly recall her glee and laughter when she shared the excitement over Max’s praying mantis birthing 100s of little babies in his bedroom. She was delighted by the spontaneous wonder over the cycle of life - not to mention the hysterical efforts made trying to capture those little critters!
Dana was not only devoted, and curious, Dana was deeply faithful.
Her faith in God and His promises fed our own growing faith. Through Bible studies on her back porch, verses shared through email, or personal sharings offered over a meal, Dana modeled dependence on the Lord. Never one to seek sympathy - in fact pity repulsed her - Dana’s courage and stamina was fed through a steady focus on God’s goodness and His trustworthiness. Many of us held in quiet awe our admiration for her strength and faith through the trial of her illness. Her pursuit of all efforts to prolong her life, and acceptance of any procedure that might buy her more time, resulted in at least an extra decade of memories. God in His mercy and kindness filled her days with the unbounding love of family and friends, as well as energy and enthusiasm for outings, travel, visits with family, myriad parties which she and Todd hosted, gatherings on her back porch, and joyful rides along the Shenandoah river. She was absolutely remarkable in every way.
And though it feels to us all that she left us too soon - our hearts are overflowing, filled with the depth and sincerity of her love, care, and devotion. Dana taught us the value of self advocacy as she fought for every extra day, week, month, and year. She also modeled for us the freedom to embrace every moment of life - living it to our fullest.
This only scratches the surface of Dana’s beauty, as I am sure many of you have different words and praises to define our friend. We can all agree, however, that Dana made a lasting impression on our minds and souls with rich memories, stories, truths, and encouragement.
As she joins the choir praising the Lord, we offer our praise to Him too for enriching our lives through the beautiful life of Dana. We are forever changed because of her - and we are forever grateful for it!
One of Dana’s legacy’s is the Classical Cottage School now renamed Classical Cottage Consortium. The Triumvirate board, the three amigos, Judy, Cindy, and Dana worked tirelessly and selflessly to craft and shape a classical education unlike any in the area. CCS was created to support homeschooling families enabling them in their pursuit of knowledge, intellect, and character through the lessons of the good, the true, and the beautiful. The vision and the commitment of the CCS board has been to provide and promote a rigorous and challenging education that has launched countless children into independent adult thinkers and responsible contributing members of society.
← Back to home
Donations to the DHFAF are tax deductible.
Dana Heidelberger was a giver.
She gave of herself, her wisdom, and her time. She generously shared her joy, compassion, determination, and her faith and confidence in the Lord throughout her beautiful life. Dana was sensible, practical, and sincere. She had a quiet clarity that was deep like a river when she invited you in to glimpse the depth of her understanding and confidence.
Dana was more than a giver, she was also an encourager and a friend.
She made you feel like you were the most important person in the room when she was speaking to you. She brought humor and unedited “Are you crazy(s)?!” (I heard that a lot) whenever we raised questions that exposed our own self doubts. She always had an encouraging ready reply to our defeated and often times overwhelmed perspectives as she showed us God’s own unrelenting love for us, despite our failings. She saw the best in others and earnestly shared her perspective when asked. She shared herself with anyone who sought her advice, be it homeschooling moms – or parents who were curious about homeschooling. She was generous with her wisdom, guidance, and encouragement as she cheered many of us along our homeschooling journey, through the highs and the lows.
Dana was an educator.
Dana’s regard for education and love for all things Charlotte Mason led her and Todd to name their home Ambleside. She had a keen sense of balance and structure for her children's days, careful to never involve them in too many activities so they could actually “home”-school. She loved Mrs. Sharp’s traditions- a book many of you may know - from which she quickly shared many ideas for engaging the imaginations of little ones especially through the excitement of the “rainy day box”. And music could be heard many hours of the day as her children practiced and mastered songs on the violin, piano, and guitar. She relished celebrating the lives of her 4 children and cherished the time God gave her to watch them grow and mature into the responsible, kind, and loving adults they are today.
But Dana was more than an educator - she was also a learner.
A lover of books, Dana loved to read aloud to her children. She especially enjoyed planning meaningful field trips where she would read related paragraphs or chapters whether in Boston on the Revolutionary trail or Minnesota reading at the site of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s House on Plum Creek - wearing a bonnet and standing on the exact rock where the Ingalls girls played beside the creek. Dana loved to get into character to bring a scene to life.
Dana was devoted.
Her dedication to her family resulted in the joint-crafting of an education that set all of her children on paths of success for their adult years. That same education she designed with her compatriots, Judy and Cindy, unexpectedly contributed to the blessing of over 400 families these past 20 years - a feat and blessing she would quickly credit God as the author and enabler.
Dana was not only devoted, she was a curious lover of nature.
She elevated the standards of curiosity and her love of nature through her many hours spent outdoors with her young children, raising llamas, chickens, pigs, goats, cats and dogs to name a few. I vividly recall her glee and laughter when she shared the excitement over Max’s praying mantis birthing 100s of little babies in his bedroom. She was delighted by the spontaneous wonder over the cycle of life - not to mention the hysterical efforts made trying to capture those little critters!
Dana was not only devoted, and curious, Dana was deeply faithful.
Her faith in God and His promises fed our own growing faith. Through Bible studies on her back porch, verses shared through email, or personal sharings offered over a meal, Dana modeled dependence on the Lord. Never one to seek sympathy - in fact pity repulsed her - Dana’s courage and stamina was fed through a steady focus on God’s goodness and His trustworthiness. Many of us held in quiet awe our admiration for her strength and faith through the trial of her illness. Her pursuit of all efforts to prolong her life, and acceptance of any procedure that might buy her more time, resulted in at least an extra decade of memories. God in His mercy and kindness filled her days with the unbounding love of family and friends, as well as energy and enthusiasm for outings, travel, visits with family, myriad parties which she and Todd hosted, gatherings on her back porch, and joyful rides along the Shenandoah river. She was absolutely remarkable in every way.
And though it feels to us all that she left us too soon - our hearts are overflowing, filled with the depth and sincerity of her love, care, and devotion. Dana taught us the value of self advocacy as she fought for every extra day, week, month, and year. She also modeled for us the freedom to embrace every moment of life - living it to our fullest.
This only scratches the surface of Dana’s beauty, as I am sure many of you have different words and praises to define our friend. We can all agree, however, that Dana made a lasting impression on our minds and souls with rich memories, stories, truths, and encouragement.
As she joins the choir praising the Lord, we offer our praise to Him too for enriching our lives through the beautiful life of Dana. We are forever changed because of her - and we are forever grateful for it!
One of Dana’s legacy’s is the Classical Cottage School now renamed Classical Cottage Consortium. The Triumvirate board, the three amigos, Judy, Cindy, and Dana worked tirelessly and selflessly to craft and shape a classical education unlike any in the area. CCS was created to support homeschooling families enabling them in their pursuit of knowledge, intellect, and character through the lessons of the good, the true, and the beautiful. The vision and the commitment of the CCS board has been to provide and promote a rigorous and challenging education that has launched countless children into independent adult thinkers and responsible contributing members of society.
← Back to home