May 20, 2024, 56, Goldsboro —

John was born on October 11, 1967, to parents Sharon Barbour Heeden and William Mitchell Heeden, Jr. in Goldsboro, North Carolina. He attended Saint Mary’s School for 10 years and Wayne Country Day School for three, where he was a member of the 1984 basketball State Championship team.

He went on to graduate from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1989 (Go Heels!) with a degree in marketing and advertising. John worked for Southern Bank for almost 35 years, where he oversaw the bank’s marketing and advertising strategy, as well as mass communications.

John married the love of his life, Kimberly Renee, on January 16, 1999, at Saint Mary’s Church, where he was a lifetime parishioner. He became a father on March 2, 2000, when his eldest child and daughter Taylor (who he lovingly referred to as “Boo-Boo”) was born. Just a couple of years later on January 13, 2003, John became a father to his first and only son, Connor. On December 10 the following year, his “baby girl” Anna was born and their family was complete.

His passion for community and basketball led John to become a volunteer basketball coach for all three of his children during their time at Saint Mary’s. He was proud of all of the players who climbed through his ranks, but John had a special place in his heart for the last Varsity Boys team he coached in 2017, leading them to the championship game that season.

He was preceded in death by his father, William Mitchell Heeden, Jr. John is survived by his wife, Kimberly, and his three kids, Taylor Heeden Larkins (James), Connor, and Anna. He is also survived by his mother, Sharon, his sister Michelle King(Wayne), his brother William M. Heeden III, and his brother Michael Heeden (Heather). John is also loved and survived by his many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

The family will receive friends on Thursday, May 23, 2024, from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. at Seymour Funeral Home in Goldsboro. A funeral service to celebrate John’s life will be held on Friday, May 24, 2024, at 10:30 a.m. at St. Mary Roman Catholic Church in Goldsboro. Interment will conclude at Evergreen Memorial Cemetery in Princeton.

Services have been entrusted to Seymour Funeral Home.

To leave an online condolence, please visit www.seymourfuneralhome.com.