Kindness, Dedication, and Longevity...When people reflect about William Heller, Jr. those words frequently are brought up to describe “Mr. Bill” or “Mr. Heller”, as he was alternately known through his years of service performed for Holy Cross School.
Mr. Bill’s service at Holy Cross School dates back to 1960s when his oldest son, William III ‘64, began as a student. After joining the Holy Cross Parent’s Club, Mr. Heller got more involved through Johnny Lynch, another parent and an HC alum from the Class of 1926, and longtime head of the Holy Cross Development Committee. Mike Heller ‘66, son and a longtime teacher at Holy Cross, says his father loved dealing with people. Mr. Heller’s occupation also attests to that, as he worked as a salesman for George A. Hormel & Co. for 33 years.
After getting involved with the Parent’s Club, Mr. Bill started working the at ticket gate for sports events, ultimately becoming the head of the “gate men”. As stated in his obituary, Mr. Heller’s volunteer activities at Holy Cross spanned over 45 years. Over this period, Mr. Bill worked with a crew composed at varying times of Mr. James Taylor, Mr. Edmund Preau, Mr. Roy Entwisle, Mr. Bill Hrapmann and Mr. Steve Berthelot. The sports that the trio of Mr. Heller, Mr. Preau and Mr. Taylor worked included football, basketball, wrestling, soccer, and baseball.
Mr. Heller worked baseball games for retired Baseball Coach Lou Carboni for at least 20 years.
Coach Carboni recalls that during the winter, several sports, such as basketball, wrestling and soccer would have games or matches on the same day. As Coach Lou remembers, “’Mr. Bill’ might have had an admission box for an afternoon soccer game and then proceeded to our gym for 3 basketball games to get a 5 p.m. freshmen game started while Coach Ed Kavanaugh, Head Wrestling Coach and Athletic Director, was wrapping up his wrestling practice. After wrestling practice, Coach Kavanaugh would relieve Mr. Bill so he could go home. Wrestling tournaments would start on a Friday night and continue all day Saturday and close out around 10 p.m. Guess who was there? You got it, Mr. Bill. He gave countless hours to HC!”
Another virtue frequently mentioned about Mr. Heller was his kindness. Ms. Sue Ellen Lyons, Science Teacher and Asst. Athletic Director shares “Mr. Heller was a wonderful gentleman who was kind to everyone, always had a pat on the back or a good word. He loved being with Mr. Taylor and Mr. Preau, and they always livened up the game day routine with their jokes and laughter. That trio embodied the values of responsibility, dedication, and enthusiasm. Their love for HC and our students was boundless.” Many other examples of Mr. Heller’s time invested as a Holy Cross volunteer could be cited.
However, Coach Carboni adds, “...the most outstanding thing about Mr. Bill was his kindness... when someone was approaching him, he would say, “Hey there Podna, how ya be? Never failed! He was the best! All the other Catholic schools knew him! Holy Cross was lucky to have him!”
Mr. Heller was the husband of Leonde “Slo” Duhe Isabel Heller. They were parents of three children, William III, ’64, Michael ’66 and Cynthia. Mr. Bill also had nine (9) grandchildren and twenty-five great-grandchildren. Mr. Bill passed away on September 1, 2003.
