IN MEMORIAM

Heather was a kind person. She had a beautiful soul and she always was willing to help anyone with a smile. Whenever I had any interactions with her, I felt her positive energy. She will be greatly missed.

Heather was sweet, kind and a very caring individual. She was always smiling and very nice to talk to. She will be missed.

Heather was a wonderful human being - always smiling, always kind, always eager to help. We will miss her.

I worked regularly with Heather over a number of years, coordinating international exchange visits for our undergraduates, as well as helping incoming student visitors from Cambridge, Tokyo, Zurich and beyond. Heather's smiling face was the first one you always saw as you went down to the ME Undergrad office. She was always ready to help, find student records and help organize information sessions and meetings. I will miss her quiet calm presence, charm and smile immensely.

Warmth emanated from Heather. She was always available to lend a caring hand and a listening ear. She will be dearly missed.

To Heather's family, I wanted to tell you how Heather always made me smile! I worked on the same floor as Heather did, and every time we saw each other in the hallway, Heather always took the time to chat with me. She greeted me with a smile and a genuine interest in how I was doing. She was such an active listener and always made me feel heard and she brightened my day. I can imagine how her sincere sensitivity impacted her work with the students she interacted with. Heather will always stay in my heart, as I know she does with you.

Heather was a kind and gentle soul. Her reassuring smile and quiet kindness provided a respite from the stress of the work day. She was always so dependable and happy to lend a hand, even if it didn’t fall under her typical job responsibilities.

I will always remember the kindness and positive attitude of Heather. Every time I saw her, needed help, or visited her office, she was always very welcoming and happy to help. We will miss her for sure.

Heather was such a sweet and gentle presence. No matter what you needed, she was always there to help, never flustered, never too busy. Just a smile and a helping hand. My office mate Debbie and I always envied how pretty and put together she always looked! Her warmth and kindness will be so much missed. I offer my heartfelt condolences to her friends and family.

I will always remember Heather as a sweet, kind, personable lady. She always made me feel welcome in the office and would say hello in the halls - sounds small, but it's that kind of interaction that made her part of my MIT community. It's what makes us all feel like we are real people, not numbers...Heather knew how to include us into her world and the MechE community, and for that I will be forever grateful. I am blessed to have known her.

I am so sorry to hear about Heather. I am absolutely shocked. Heather was great. I have know here since she came to MIT in 2012. She was super helpful and very friendly. Heather always had a big smile and kind words when I'd see her on campus. She definitely brightened up my day. MIT & MechE have lost a tremendous presence. Heather will be very missed. Condolences to her friends and family. I am very sorry for your loss.

I would like to first offer my condolences to Dan, Marianne, Michele, Lauren and Dominic. I shared a wall next to Heather's office as Graduate Academic Administrator. Although our offices were separate entities, we were engaged with processes that sometimes crossed over with the Undergraduate Office. Many times I would stop by looking for candy or she would stop by our office, but she was much more disciplined than I was so she often was not looking for the candy. We would always have conversations about how the day was going and life, in general, and share a laugh or two or three!! As mentioned by so many people who knew Heather, she was so kind, sweet and gentle. She was always so willing to help any of us who might stop in to ask a question or clarify a student issue or just beg for food. It was always a pleasant experience. Heather was so humble and unassuming.
It was devastating to learn of Heather's diagnosis, but then, as we all probably thought, 'we are in Boston, she will have the best at MGH, they will come up with something for her', she is young and healthy. We were hopeful. I had a couple of e-mail exchanges with Heather and, as always, Heather was sweet, upbeat and hopeful. Then, we received the news that Heather had passed away which was totally shocking to everyone. How could this have happened and so quickly?
The realities of life are difficult realities and sometimes the outcome cannot be altered, but I think it would be such a better world if we can take away from Heather's short but well lived life, her positive, gentle, kind and humble spirit. She had a gentle spirit that benefits everyone. I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to have shared that wall with Heather for so many years. She was a wonderful person who will be greatly missed by all of us in MechE who worked with her so closely. I was very fortunate that our paths crossed even for only a few years. Heather will never be forgotten by all of us who had that privilege of knowing her.

Heather was so sweet and always had a big bright smile for everyone. We always had a few laughs when we ran into each other in the hall. She will be dearly missed.

Heather, you were one of the sweetest, soft spoken and humble people i have ever met. I will miss your smile, kindness and many fun chats we shared in the Undergraduate office. RIP, sweetheart. XXX

Heather’s kind-heartedness was unparalleled. When I first was introduced to Heather, I knew immediately that I wanted to be her friend. She exuded such a warm energy. MIT has a surprising amount of animal events on campus and we had the chance to check some of them out together. Looking back, the majority of our email exchanges are Puppy-Lab-related. I have such a nice memory of going to a baby animal petting zoo with Heather. Tears of joy were in Heather’s eyes as she held the tiny ducks and baby bunnies. Her joy was truly contagious.
Words can’t express how heartbroken I am over the loss of this unique, precious person. I feel so incredibly lucky that we ended up working in the same place, in the same department, at the same time and that I am able to call Heather my friend. Even though we only knew each other for a short time, I’ll carry her memory and spirit of kindness with me for the rest of my life.