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Letter to the editor

His short life was long on happiness

Heller Dean Koch 1998-2007

By MARTY CLEAR, Times Correspondent
Published January 4, 2008

VALRICO - On the Saturday after Christmas, the Cub Scouts from Pack 61 put on their uniforms, gathered and went to a memorial service.

Their friend, 9-year-old Heller Koch, had died in his sleep a week earlier, just three days before Christmas. His parents aren't sure what caused his death.

"We still don't know," said his mother, Hayley Ritz. "The doctor said he had a lot of water on his brain, but they don't know what caused it. It could have been genetic. It could have been viral. They say it will be another three or four weeks before we find out."

Heller of Valrico had intermittent headaches for about a week. A doctor thought he had migraines and suggested that his parents take him to a neurologist.

"We had an appointment with the neurologist in January," Ritz said. "That was the first opening, but he died Dec. 22."

He lived his life happily until the end.

He performed in his church's Christmas pageant, and he made a stuffed alligator as a Christmas gift for his teacher at Alafia Elementary School.

The night before he died, he and his mother's husband, Ford Ritz - the man he called Dad - sang Christmas carols together.

The next morning, though, the headaches were back. Heller lay down to rest, and 20 minutes later his parents went to check on him.

"He wasn't breathing," his mother said. "We called 911. His father did CPR. The paramedics got here pretty fast, I guess. It seemed like it took hours."

He was named Heller because that was his mother's maiden name, but he loved the fact that the name meant "bright like the sun." It was an apt name in a number of ways. He always had a great disposition, and he was a smart kid with an interest in science.

"Once you met Heller, even once, you'd remember him," his mother said. "He wanted to be a meteorologist. He wanted to invent a system that would protect people from severe weather and hurricanes. Every morning he'd get up and make his bed and watch the Weather Channel for a little while."

His interests went beyond the weather. He played baseball with the Bloomingdale Little League and was active in the Cub Scouts and his church, the Crossing.

"But his favorite thing," his mother said, "was being at home with his family."

He especially loved his 1-year-old brother, Nicholas. The first word little Nicholas ever spoke was "Heller."

Heller's family knew he was special, but they hadn't realized how many other people thought so. "His effect on people was amazing," his mother said. "We learned that at his service."

Friends from school, church and Little League showed up because their lives had been touched by someone whose own life had barely begun. At the service, the Cub Scout pack awarded him the Bear rank posthumously.

"We told their parents that if the kids didn't want to come, we'd understand," Heller's mother said. "But they all wanted to be there."

Besides his parents and his brother, Heller is survived by a sister, Jennifer Heller Mae Ritz; biological father Jeffrey Koch; grandparents; and great-grandparents.

[Last modified January 3, 2008, 08:18:30]