Heims, R. C.

Born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, in 1865, R. C. Heims was educated locally before entering the furniture manufacturing trade at age seventeen, eventually becoming a factory superintendent in St. Paul, Minnesota. He was first married in St. Paul to Katherine Schneider, who passed away in November 1918, and later married Anna Schallman of San Francisco. In 1906, Heims relocated to Kerman, Fresno County, establishing himself as a pioneer merchant by opening a general merchandise store that rapidly expanded to meet the needs of the growing community.

Beyond his mercantile business, Heims played a foundational role in Kerman’s commercial and agricultural development, helping establish the town’s fruit packing-house as well as its creamery, which helped transform local alfalfa acreage into thriving dairy ranches. Deeply invested in civic progress, he served as president of the Kerman Commercial Association, co-founded and served as president of the Kerman Building & Loan Association, and was a charter member of the Kerman Chamber of Commerce.