On Sunday February 14, 2021, Gunther Ernst Heinle peacefully passed away at the age of 83. He is survived by his wife of 48 years Sigrid, son Oliver, daughter-in-law Caitlin and grandchildren Fiona, Sophie, Clara, and Dylan, as well as stepson Mark Russell, daughter-in-law Jill, and granddaughter Gretchen.

Gunther was born in Sindringen Germany on December 30th, 1937. He was the youngest of three children and leaves behind a sister Ursula Heinle Lutz, and brother Fred Heinle and family. From an early age Gunther showed a passion and a natural talent for soccer. The Heinle Family moved to the city of Vaihingen/Stuttgart and Gunther joined the local fussball club ‘Alliance’ where he found a second home.

Gunther chose to follow his siblings to the United States in 1959. It was here that he was drafted and served in the United States 7th Army playing soccer throughout Europe.

Upon returning to the US, he took up residence in California where he met Sigrid and they were married in 1973. He made his career as a general manager at a precision machine shop in the aerospace industry until his retirement in 1996. While living in California, Gunther enjoyed photography, family ski vacations and regular trips to Lake Havasu, AZ.

After Gunther’s retirement, he and Sigrid moved to Atlanta. While retired he enjoyed helping people with handy-man work, taking care of his yard, cooking and of course watching his favorite sport, soccer. Gunther, with his dry sense of humor and wit, will be deeply missed by his family and all who knew him. He was a dedicated husband, loving father, and cherished his role as “Opi” to his grandchildren.