Emily Francis Heller (née Michalski) Obituary

Emily Frances Heller (née Michalski), 79, of Ladera Ranch, California, passed away on Sunday, September 21, 2025. She passed away at Providence Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo, California after being diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease.

Emily was born on July 8, 1946 in Memphis, Tennessee to Joseph Victor and Emily Potter Michalski (née Emily Ruth Potter).  She was preceded in death by: her parents, Joseph and Emily; her brother, Joseph; their childhood family cat, The Beast; and her husband, Dr. Robert Heller.  She is survived by: her brother, Robert Michalski Morgan; niece, Lydia Kelley (née Morgan) ; nephews, Daniel Michalski, Jeremiah Morgan (Robert's sons), and Zach Michalski (Joseph's son); and her stepdaughter and her family- Cynthia, Kevin, Nicholas, and Jacob Alt.

In her early years, Emily moved with her family as her father was an Air Force officer. Among the places they lived were: Silver Spring, Maryland; White Sands, New Mexico;  Memphis, Tennessee; Atlanta, Georgia; and Birmingham, Alabama. In all the places they lived, Emily received notes in her report cards and via letter from her teachers praising her learning acumen and growth. In High School, Emily was involved in acting and theater. She was a member of the Thespian Society and was featured on the poster for her High School's Richard III play, in which she played Lady Anne.

Emily received a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin in 1969 and received a Ph.D. in 1974. Her doctorate was in Linguistics and she conducted her dissertation researching how the mind processes nonsense words.  Upon graduation she taught at University of Wisconsin and Indiana University before moving to California.  While in California, Emily taught at both Pepperdine University and San Diego State University focusing on diagnosing reading and learning difficulties.  Emily moved from academics to business/government where her career focused on writing training manuals and other instructional design methods.

Emily married Dr. Robert Heller, OD, in Palm Desert in a private ceremony January 21 1995.  They maintained residences in La Jolla, California and the Las Vegas area until his death from lung cancer in 2014. Emily moved to the community of Reata Glenn in 2018 where she made many dear friends and maintained a second residence in Rancho Mirage Ca.

A celebration of life and internment will be scheduled at a later date in January 2026.  She will be buried next to Robert at Miramar National Cemetery, San Diego, California .

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Parkinsons.org or lungcancerfoundation.org .