Final flight for famous founding figure

Friends and family of Chuck Heckert spreading his ashes at his beloved nordic ski jump. Photo: Michele Roepke

PARK CITY, Utah — Chuck Heckert passed away from cancer during the height of the pandemic therefore a community gathering to celebrate his life wasn’t possible at the time. On Saturday, approximately 75 invited members of the Olympic Nordic ski jumping community gathered to celebrate his life. More wished the building size would have allowed for their presence.

Hundreds of pieces of his collected Olympic-related memorabilia were on display at the top of the Utah Olympic Park’s Large Hill venue, a place Chuck knew well from working there at its inception. The dirt road located within the venue that leads to the top was previously officially named the “Heckert Highway” and an annual, national ski jumping competition has also been named the “Heckert Memorial.”

Attendees represented members of notable Park City ski jumping families including: 

• Bill Demong
• Anders and Alissa Johnson
• Lindsey Van
• Brett and Eric Camerota
• Sarah and Nick Hendrickson

Heckert and his wife of more than 50 years, Jeanette, traveled the globe as he worked in the sport-specific capacities of judge, official, and consultant after retiring his own ski jumping career.

In arranging the Ceremony of Life event, Heckert’s sons Dan and Scott had Doug Macisaac, a UOP colleague of Heckert’s, say a few words as well as Laurie Beck. 

Bill Demong got up and spoke to the crowd about his friend and mentor’s global contributions to the sport of ski jumping and his lasting legacy. Heckert had strong feelings about the future of the sport and how the youth of the movement will carry it forward through their trials and triumphs. As such, Liam Demong, 11, Root Roepke, 15, and Augie Roepke, 13, walked through the seats with baskets that offered hand-sized, heart-shaped, containers of Heckert’s ashes. People proceeded to walk down the steps of the jump, stop, stand quietly for a moment, and open their container into the whirling, winding, whipping, warm winds.