Legacies Live Forever: The Heinrich Family

Carl & Judy Heinrich, Photo Credit: Ashley Maone

Washington County, OH – When Carl Heinrich stepped foot on Marietta College’s Campus in the fall of 1962 he had no idea his path would lead him into the arms of a Freshman Home Economics student named, Judith “Judy” Cole.

Judy was just out of high school and Carl was a transfer. They had met at a few different freshman orientation mixers that all new students were required to attend; however, their relationship wouldn’t begin to blossom until the proceeding semesters.

Carl finally gathered the courage. “He asked me to go with him on a Sunday afternoon ride through town and won me over,” chuckled Judy.

Both Carl and Judy were transplants to Marietta, OH. Carl spent the majority of his childhood in Pennsylvania, while Judy was native to New Jersey. However, both traveled hundreds of miles to gain an education and, unexpectedly, each other.

As a young man, Carl enlisted in the United States Army and served during a non-combatant period. After his service was completed, he began his higher educational career, but soon left to work in various oil fields in the eastern region of the United States. These hard-working years spent in the dirt and grime would become formative building blocks that would shape the rest of Carl’s life.

While on a job in Marietta, Carl had heard about the college’s Petroleum Program from several engineers he had worked with. During some down time, he decided to stop in on campus, which left an impression upon him.

Wanting to take his knowledge of the industry further, he enrolled in a dual-degree program at Marietta College’s Petroleum Engineering & Geology Department. He would go on to graduate in 1964 and then two-years later marry Judy.

After the couple married, Judy became a teacher and Carl went to work for Quaker State in 1970. Carl pioneered deep drilling in Southeastern Ohio early in his career and developed an innovative fracking technique, cementing his legacy in the oil & gas industry forever.

During this time, the couple would welcome two children into the world, a son, Joseph Heinrich, and a daughter, Christyann Heinrich. After her pregnancy with Christy, Judy quit teaching to focus on a Master’s degree in Economic Education from Ohio University, which would help propel the family in their next venture together.

Over a decade after they said their marriage vows, Carl and Judy decided to not only be known as husband and wife but also as business partners. In 1978 Heinrich Enterprises was formed as an independent oil and gas producer.

In the same year, Heinrich Enterprises teamed up with several other local producers to create the Southeastern Ohio Oil & Gas Association, a nonprofit which addresses issues and concerns surrounding the industry in the Mid-Ohio River Valley. As a founding member, Carl continues to work and contribute to the efforts of SOOGA by serving as a board member and co-editor for the SOOGA Insider.  

From the company’s conception and into the modern-day, Heinrich Enterprises acquired different oil & gas wells and operations for their productions. It remains family owned and operated to this day, although Carl and Judy are no longer at the helm.

In 2008, Carl and Judy’s daughter, Christy moved back to Marietta with her husband Brian Chavez to take over operations of the business.

“Brian and I have always been a team, just like Mom and Dad were always a team,” said Christy. “They spent their life and career in this industry, now Brian and I are second generations and we get to continue that legacy.”

The Heinrich legacy continues to live on through their children and their company, but Carl and Judy aren’t idle in their retirement. After seeing their daughter and son-in-law establish a family fund at Marietta Community Foundation, Carl and Judy decided to create one of their own: The Heinrich Family Charitable Fund.

After more than half a century has passed by, the couple chose to leave a lasting legacy in the very place that brought them together. In 2019, through their family charitable fund, the Heinrich’s donated funds to Marietta College’s Petroleum Engineering Program for the purchase of a drilling simulator.

“Marietta College was good to me, so I wanted to return the favor,” said Carl, “I wanted to give something directly to the students [in the Petroleum Engineering Program]… something that would give them practical experience,” said Carl.  

The simulator will give students in the program the chance to gain crucial training in a risk free environment. This training will give oil and gas companies’ greater access to a highly skilled workforce through safer means.

“It just seems natural to give to this area and the college,” said Judy. “This is our home. We came here when we were 18 [Judy] and 24 [Carl] years old. We raised our family here and now our daughter and son-in-law are raising their children here too.”

If you would like to leave a legacy or honor someone else’s legacy, please contact Heather Allender, President & CEO of Marietta Community Foundation at heather@mcfohio.org.