Fannie Heck was the daughter of Mrs. Mattie Heck and Colonel Jonathan McGee Heck. She grew up in a historic Raleigh mansion, located at 309 North Blount Street in Raleigh, North Carolina. The building of this beautiful home was completed in 1890.

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As young women, Fannie Heck and her friend Sallie Bailey-Jones were actively involved in ministry to children in the poor section of Raleigh.   When Fannie was twenty three, she was asked to be the chairwoman of the Woman's Central Committee of Missions. This organization would assist and encourage missions work that was already being done in churches.

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Little did these two women realize that their dedication and service would be a lifetime of missions work. The Woman's Central Committee of Missions was the forerunner of Woman's Missionary Union today. Fannie Heck served as President of Woman's Missionary Union North Carolina, WMU NC, until her death in 1915.