It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Eric Matthew Heinz, age 29 of Draper, Utah.
Eric passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on Wednesday evening, November 23rd at the University of Utah hospital in Salt Lake City. Diagnosed with acute stage 4 APL Leukemia that afternoon, Eric fought valiantly as the exceptional team of physicians battled with him, only to pass later that evening with his parents by his side.
Eric is survived by his parents, Ron and Tricia Heinz, his siblings Ronnie Heinz, Addy Calonica, Nate Heinz, brother-in-law Michael Calonica and his beloved niece and nephew, Billie Shae, and Colton Calonica. Also grieving the loss of Eric are his paternal grandparents, Ron and Sherry Heinz and his maternal grandmother, Joan Blatz, as well as numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins.
Eric was born in Fairfax, Virginia on January 2nd, 1993. When Eric was two years old, he relocated with his family to Draper and apart from his time away at school, resided most of his life in the Salt Lake City area. Eric spent his K-12 years at the Skaggs Catholic Center in Draper, graduating with honors from Juan Diego Catholic High School in 2011. He subsequently graduated from the University of San Diego with a BS in Business Administration and received a master’s degree in Sustainable Energy at Reykjavik University in Iceland. Upon graduation, Eric joined Goldman Sachs in Salt Lake City and worked on the derivatives trading team supporting institutional clients.
A natural athlete, Eric excelled at football, lacrosse and track in high school and then enjoyed a myriad of sports including weightlifting, boxing, hiking and yoga. He was the captain of the state champion Juan Diego HS football team and was fortunate to be a part of three championship seasons. Eric was a member and officer of the Delta Tau fraternity at the University of San Diego and was active in numerous scholastic organizations while in Iceland.
He enjoyed hiking in Millcreek Canyon with his father Ron and held a special spot in is mother’s heart. Eric and his mom shared many passions, especially cooking. Eric spent time with his siblings whenever possible, enjoying time with them in Texas and on Lake Travis.
Most importantly, Eric was a kind and giving soul, and is remembered by all as a man of integrity and kindness. He was a special uncle to his niece and nephew and was always there for anyone who needed him.
A funeral mass and celebration of life will be held on Saturday, December 10th at 10:00 a.m. at St. John the Baptist Church in Draper, Utah.
Ron, I can't imagine how you are feeling. So sorry to hear this. My thoughts are with you all.
HFF
Brad Sindle
My heart is broken for your family. Our prayers and deepest thoughts are with you during this horrible time of loss. May God bless and watch over your family in these difficult times. With much love and prayers headed your way I’m so very sorry for the sudden loss of Eric your beautiful child. Love, Ned and Cindy Leonard
Dear Tricia, Ron, Ronnie, Addy and Nate,
We are sending love and prayers to all the Heinz Family . We have many fond memories of our families when Eric was a baby and a toddler in Virginia. We were so happy to reconnect last year in Park City and to see what a wonderful young man he had grown up to be.
Love,
Mary Ann, Mike , Kathleen , Megan and Erin
I am so sorry for your tragic loss. Eric and I had some positive interactions with the USD Utah alumni chapter. He had such a strong passion for many things. He will be missed.
Eric was such a lovely person to grow up with. It was an absolute treat to share many sweet, joyful, fun, playful, funny moments with him, I will continue to cherish these memories. Sending you and your family my prayers, my condolences, my love and a lot of tenderness and rest.
I am genuinely still in disbelief by this disheartening news. Eric was a childhood best friend of mine and I have many memories running around as children and visiting each other and his parents being so kind to me as was Eric. Growing up in the years we grew apart but he always remained incredibly kind and in the random moments we interacted it was always fulfilling and lovely speaking with him. I am still lost for words and processing this information, but I want to send my love to his family, friends and acquaintances.
Eric was always the ray of sunshine I needed on a rough day. He always knew exactly what to say to cheer someone up. He challenged me to think in new ways and helped make me a better person. He will be miss but whenever the sun comes out, I know he’ll be there shining down on us. My thoughts & love are with you & your family.
Please accept my condolences on the passing of Eric. My thoughts and prayers are with you today and in the days to come. Eric was a student of mine at Juan Deigo Catholic HS and also a member of the track and field team that I helped to coach.
Since 2006 I have been a member of the Huntsman Heroes running group raising funds for the Huntsman Cancer Foundation. Yesterday I made two donations in memory of Eric. One is on my personal fundraising page and the other was part of a 2X match gift. The donations will be allocated to research in Leukemia and Lymphoma.
Praying that you feel the peace that only comes from Jesus Christ as you navigate the difficult days to come.
I worked with Eric across from the ocean in UK. We always spoke of meeting each other whenever we got a chance to visit. He was very different to the corporatized mindless work being. He had real life energy about him and was so charming and friendly to engage with. We both worked in a very stressful environment but we would cheer eachother up and always talked about the universe and greater meaning to our life. He was a warrior in mind and body and always spoke of living with purpose and integrity. We would catchup over the phone on random evenings and I would always enjoy our deep conversations. I miss him dearly and I pray for him and will always mention him when I speak with God.
I’ll see on the other side one day, Brother. We can then finally meet.