Natalie Marie Hiebert

Natalie Marie Hiebert was born on June 29, 1966 in Longview, Washington.  She was the youngest of three children born to Dan and Joy Hiebert.  She passed away on December 24, 2023, at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona after suffering a stroke.  Her daughters were by her side; her partner, friends, and family held her hands throughout her final days.

She attended schools in Longview and Vancouver, Washington and graduated from Kofa High School in Yuma, Arizona.  She earned her accounting degree from Arizona State University.  Before starting her family, she was employed in the Phoenix area where she utilized her degree.

During her childhood, Natalie enjoyed backpacking, collecting clowns, playing with dolls and lovingly irritating her older siblings, Danny (DJ) and Twila.  Being the baby in the family, she was the apple of her Mom’s eyes and could do no wrong.   Part of her childhood was spent on the family farm halfway between Rainier and Clatskanie, Oregon, where she enjoyed being outdoors, practicing the piano and flute, playing in the barn and being with the animals.  In her later years, she specifically enjoyed trips to Hawaii with her sister and had a love of hard rock music.

Gnat, as her sister and brother called her, loved the boys throughout her lifetime, having dated Matt Varner for several years and who was the father of her four children.  The family lived in Phoenix for many years, then moved to Yuma to be closer to Matt’s father and his beekeeping business.  She dearly loved her children and would throw elaborate birthday parties for them and could not resist buying them lots of gifts.  For the last several years, she was retired in Yuma with her boyfriend, Joe Ramirez.  She spent the last ten years at home helping to care for Joe’s older sister, Roberta – an act that brought her great purpose and joy.  She also frequently babysat for the Fenzel family’s youngest, helping to take care of Kira’s children like her own grandchildren.

Natalie is survived by her daughters, Danielle (Orlando) Flores in Vancouver, Washington; Alyssa Hiebert and Erin Hiebert in Phoenix, Arizona; father, Dan Hiebert, and sister, Twila Hiebert, both of Longview; granddaughter, Eva Flores in Vancouver; Joe Ramirez in Yuma, Arizona; and extended family and numerous friends.  She was preceded in death by her mother, Joy; brother, DJ; son, Matthew (Buddy); and the father of her children, Matt Varner.

Cremation has taken place.  A memorial service will be held on Saturday, February 17, 2024, at 11 a.m. at Dahl-McVicker Funeral Home, 301 Cowlitz Way, Kelso.  Following the service, Natalie’s remains will be laid to rest with her mother and son at Cowlitz View Memorial Gardens in Kelso, Washington.