Eric Heitkamp first met his wife, Molly, when they both attended Van Buren High School.  While he was two years older than his wife, he still knew her well; however, they did not begin dating until she was a senior in high school and he was a sophomore in college.  “Our first date was at the fair,” Mr. Heitkamp says. “I remember wanting to hold her hand but I was too nervous.”

Mr. Heitkamp says the characteristic that attracted him to his wife was how nice she is. “She is very thoughtful about other people,” Mr. Heitkamp explains. “I knew I wanted to be with someone who was kind.”

The couple has been married for fourteen years and have three children together (12-year-old Grace, 10-year-old Winston, and 7-year-old Benjamin).  They are both teachers at Van Buren Schools; Mrs. Heitkamp is a fourth grade science teacher and Mr. Heitkamp is a high school technology teacher.

When did you realize she was “the one”? It was shortly after we started seeing each other.  Probably within a month.

How did you propose? My wife told me she loved me at her grandparents’ pond. Years later, I took her to the same pond and got down on one knee. I wanted to go back somewhere that meant something to us.