Gwen Lynn Heffner passed away on July 14, 2021, at her home in Irvine, Ky. She was born on Nov. 4, 1952, in Columbus, Ohio. Her parents were Virginia Rinehart Heffner and Phillip E. Heffner, Jr. She received her B.A. degree in printmaking and ceramics from Luther College in Iowa. She received her graduate degree in ceramics from the University of Louisville under the late Tom Marsh. After four years as an Artist in the Schools throughout Kentucky, Gwen established her pottery outside Irvine. She ran the Contemporary Artifacts Gallery in Berea, Ky., for ten years before taking an administrative position at the Kentucky Artisan Center in Berea in 2003. She is survived by her husband of 35 years, Robert S. Ruffner, her son Matthew Phillip Ruffner, her sister, Gail B. Heffner ‘72, and her brother Gary H. Heffner, and several nieces and nephews, as well as numerous beloved cousins. Donations can be made to Hospice of Kentucky, or Eastern Kentucky University Public Radio. A gathering celebration was held at the Folk Art Center in Olde Towne Berea on October 9.