HOT Magazine HOT Magazine - Issue 11, 12 Volume 5 | Page 45

(Article Reprinted from HOT Magazine June 2014 Issue) Connie and Roy stayed in Bangkok until 1976 when they moved to a beautiful villa in Malta overlooking the Mediterranean. She and Roy loved their time there and made many friends. Life was wonderful until one fateful day in 1981 when the leftist government accused them of being CIA spies and gave them just 24 hours to leave the country. 24 hours did not give them enough time to pack all their belongings but friends helped and most was retrieved. From Malta the couple moved to Santa Barbra in California to be close to their oldest son Skip who was a movie executive at 20th Century Fox. Through Skip, Connie and Roy became close to Hollywood celebrities including Ronald Regan and his wife Nancy. Even when the Regan’s moved to the White House they would continue to send Connie and Roy a card on their anniversary, memento’s she still has. Knowing Presidents seems to run in the family, Connie’s grandfather was the personal photographer to Teddy Roosevelt. Connie loved to work and while in Santa Barbara, a very exclusive community, she set about buying and selling houses always turning a nice profit on each one. In 1989 while on holiday in Thailand their son Skip had a serious scuba diving accident, so serious that Connie and Roy came back to Thailand to be with their son. Thankfully Skip recovered and returned to the States. For Connie and Roy however, after living in 54 homes in 7 countries they decided to settle down once and for all in Hua Hin. Sadly, Roy passed away from cancer in 1993, Connie remained in Hua Hin and still lives here to this day. After Roy’s passing, Connie and her son Bill set up the Roy E. Heinecke Foundation which supports the less fortunate children throughout Thailand who have outstanding records of performance. Each year, the foundation gives scholarships to 449 students which help support their education from early learning stages through to graduation. On Connie’s 90th birthday the family threw a large birthday party for her with over 450 guests. At the party they raised $225,000 U.S. Dollars for the foundation. Connie, who has always been a great joke teller, decided to put together a joke book of some of her favorites with all monies going to the foundation. Her Book “A Connoisseur’s Choice of Jokes” received rave reviews. Connie proudly states that even Australia’s richest woman, Gina Rinehart has a copy. When asked what her happiest memory is, Connie doesn’t hesitate in saying that her happiest memory was of her wedding day. She then added “I’m the luckiest girl in the world, I’ve lived a wonderful life”. Skip & Kathleen Connie’s son Skip has retired from the movie business and now lives in Ireland collecting cars. He and his wife Kathleen have one son Christopher who lives in Los Angeles Son Bill is the Billionaire founder of Minor International. He and his wife Kathy live in Bangkok and have two sons, John who lives in Bangkok and David who lives in Portland Oregon, both have two children. Bill & Kathy HOT Magazine 45