Nancy (Ni'Que) Haywood Heafner

Nancy “Nique” Haywood Heafner, 66, passed away Friday, October 29, 2021. She was born February 11, 1955 in Mecklenburg County. She was preceded in death by her mother, Lena McMurray Haywood, father Wiley Haywood, and sister Sandra Haywood Nivens. Funeral services will be Sunday, November 7, 2021 at 4:00 pm in Gordon Funeral Chapel, 1904 Lancaster Avenue, Monroe, NC 28112. A reception & celebration of life will follow the Memorial Service at Iron Horse Motorcycles, 1600 W Roosevelt Blvd, Monroe, NC 28110. Nancy “Nique” is survived by her husband, Charles Michael Heafner; nephew, Brian Nivens; niece Shannon Wiesner and the whole Heafner family who loved her dearly and she called them her brothers and sisters. She especially loved the whole gang at Iron Horse Motorcycles and always looked forward to riding with the Kyle Petty Charity Ride family. Nique was the pillar and cornerstone at Iron Horse Motorcycles for over 35 years. She divided her time between working at the shop and the farm in Monroe, NC and the water at Lake Tillery in Norwood, NC. She spent her younger years in Matthews and Carolina Beach where she learned to surf and in California where she worked for Jessica McClintock who created the famous clothing line Gunne Sax. She was a cheerleader with the Carolina Storm in Charlotte. Nique loved animals, having many dogs, cats, a pet Macaw and even a snake. Nique loved to cook and was very excellent at creating many mouth-watering dishes. Her vegetable soup was especially famous. She said food is the most important part in a relationship, and that love is the first. She collected lighthouses and could tell you by looking at one where in the world it stood. Nique had a remarkable memory. She could recall dates and events that occurred even 30 years ago like it was yesterday. She could hear a song and tell you who sang it and the title. She loved music. Nique loved to ride motorcycles, logging over half a million miles on the back with her husband Mike. They rode every one of those rides over 48 states, usually for a fund raiser for the Kyle Petty Charity Ride or the Home Town Heroes. She never missed an opportunity to ride. She never complained about riding even in rain, two forest fires, snow, sleet, hail and even riding beside a tornado outside of Dodge City, Kansas once. Nique loved to travel; she took many trips and especially loved sailing in the British Virgin Islands, where she prided herself on sailing a sailboat faster than Mike. Mike said she was like the Dale Earnhardt of sailing; both could see the wind. She also loved the many theme ship cruises to the Caribbean, trips to Japan and China to meet the administration of Honda Motors Corporation. She loved Nascar and went to countless races, visiting most of the Nascar tracks in the US. Nique loved helping people. She was an incredible judge of people and had a heart of gold. She always found a way to make people feel happy and to feel loved. She loved sunsets and took many photos of them. She especially enjoyed rainbows after the storm. She loved seeing storms with lighthouses in the distance and would comment “it was God’s pastel painting”. She was a deeply religious person and practiced right from wrong all her life. Nique had two pet peeves--she would never leave a bed unmade, and she treated a broken finger nail as if it was the end of the world. Mike would tell her she had the most beautiful hair to change her focus. Nique will be missed by many. Donations can be sent to Kyle Petty Charity Ride, 125 Floyd Smith Dr. Suite 45, Charlotte, NC 28262 or Home Town Heroes, PO BOX 953, Monroe, NC 28111 or Union County Hospice, 700 W. Roosevelt Blvd., Monroe, NC 28110 (who are incredible). Online condolences may be made at www.gordonfuneralservice.com Gordon Funeral Service and Crematory is caring for the Heafner family.