Eric William Heller

Eric William Heller of Tacoma passed away February 20, 2025, of heart failure. Eric was born on October 23rd, 1973 in Springfield, Oregon. He was a happy and active child becoming a cub Scout and later earning his Eagle Scout award. He was active in the Catholic Church as an altar boy. His family moved from Springfield to Roseburg, OR in 1984 where he graduated from Roseburg High School in 1991. In 1989/90 Eric was and exchange student to Stuttgart, Germany where he became fluent in German and witnessed the dismantling of the Berlin wall. He continued to stay in contact with his host family going back to visit them twice. After high school he entered Oregon State University where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Geology. In 2001 he received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering from Louisiana State University and in 2003 a Master of Science in Civil Engineering from University of Washington. No matter where he attended school, he remained a lifelong OSU Beavers fan.

In 2003 Eric went to work for GeoEngineers, working there until 2017. In March of 2019 he went to work for GeoResorces where he enjoyed his work. He loved living in Tacoma and enjoyed being part of the community participating in the 40 under 40 program, Toastmasters and as a board member of an urban youth organization.

Eric loved to travel and was able to visit East Germany and Yugoslavia before the fall of the Soviet Union during his exchange year. This was to be only the beginning of a well-traveled life. This included traveling across Europe and also to Iceland, Japan, Canada and a couple of volcano quests to Hawaii.

At a young age Eric became a lifelong lover of science fiction. This included a deep love for Star Trek, Star Wars, and Dr. Who just to name a few. Over the years he attended several Comic-Cons from San Diego to Seattle seeking out guest panels and photo opportunities with many of the actors who played the iconic roles in the genre. He often joined the gaming sessions whenever he could. He was also enjoyed gaming with his friends whether it was Dungeons and Dragons or other games either in person or online. He enjoyed it all immensely. Eric was a huge fan of Jimmy Buffet and was able to attend a few of his concerts.

Eric leaves behind his parents, Bill and Debra Heller of Junction City, OR.; his brother Sean, sister-in-law Kiyora and nieces Leia and Alice of Yokosuka, Japan; Sister Lisa, brother-in-law Jay Chipoli, and niece Lily of Winter Garden, FL., and an orange tabby cat named Perseus as well as many, many friends.

- Care Entrusted to Emmick Family Funeral Home -