Heather Ann Schweder

Heather Ann Schweder, beloved mother, grandmother, sister, and aunt, died peacefully on October 30, 2024. She was born on July 8, 1946, in Ames, Iowa, to Charles and Martha Neidt. Most of her early years were spent in Lincoln, NE, and later in Fort Collins, CO. As a young girl, Heather delighted in visits to Winterset, Iowa to spend time with her Grandmother Neidt, who routinely posted announcements of her arrival in the local paper. From a young age, and throughout her life, she played classical piano beautifully, always had a book in hand, and treasured art, music, and nature.

Heather attended the University of Chicago, where she earned a degree in history and cultivated her passion for writing. A Thanksgiving visit to New York City with her college roommate opened a deep engagement with the city’s artistic and cultural energy. She fell in love with the city’s abundance of creativity and the freedom it offered to explore a wider world. After graduating from college in 1968, she married her college sweetheart, Tom Schweder, in Fort Collins, and together they made Manhattan their home, eager to embrace all it had to offer. Before long, their two children, Alex and Amanda, became a central joy in Heather’s life.

Heather often said that being a mother was the best part of her life. She nurtured her children’s curiosity and creativity, filling their lives with books, music, and museum visits. After becoming a single mother, Heather remained in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, where she built a career in communications, founding her business Target Communications to help educational, social service, and arts organizations clearly articulate their missions. She took pride in the impact of her work, knowing it helped organizations dedicated to improving people’s lives. Heather formed lasting friendships, particularly with other neighborhood mothers, as they supported one another in navigating motherhood, careers, and independence. She found contentment in the rhythms of city life—morning coffee and cinnamon danish from the corner bakery, leisurely afternoons at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the vibrancy of spring flowers at Fort Tryon Park, and the peacefulness of yoga classes (she loved being named Gran’mama by her yoga teacher upon becoming a grandmother).

After retiring, Heather moved to Davis, CA, where she was embraced by her daughter’s loving family and served as her grandchildren’s number one fan across all their activities. Heather found wonder in the everyday beauty of her surroundings, delighting in daily walks, picking flowers, and nature’s quieter marvels. She modeled for those who loved her how to find fulfillment in such simple joys.

Heather will be remembered for her warmth, generosity, infectious laugh and smile, and deep love for her family. She encouraged others to be their fullest selves and found great meaning in helping those around her thrive. Heather’s spirit lives on as kindness, a quality she opened in others by living it as a form of resilience.

Heather is survived by her children, Alexander Schweder (Karina) of Brooklyn, NY and Amanda Guyer (Nathan) of Davis, CA; her grandchildren, Hannah and Owen Guyer; her sisters, Mary Tesch (Mike Cunningham) and Nanci Case (Michael Augustine); her sister-in-law, Kyle Neidt (the late William Neidt); and her nieces and nephews, Andrew Case, Nicole Nance (Zack), Mathew Case, Rebecca Tesch (Scott), Lindsey Baudoin (Chad), and Chad Neidt (Laura). She was preceded in death by her parents and her brother, William Neidt.

A memorial service will be held at The Riverside Church in New York City on May 17, 2025 from 10-11:30am.

Donations in Heather’s honor may be made to YoloCares which provided her with dignified, loving care at the end of her life (yolocares.org/give), the Friends of Music at The Riverside Church in New York City where she felt connected spiritually (trcnyc.org/give), and the Heather Garden in Fort Tryon Park where she relished in the glory of her neighborhood community (forttryonparktrust.org/donate).