Colleen Ahern-Hettich

Colleen Ahern-Hettich, 70, of Black Mountain, NC, passed away in her home on January 13, 2025.
Colleen Ahern was born in Denver, Colorado, on January 2, 1955. She grew up in North Denver, spending a great deal of time in the mountains with her family and friends. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a BFA in Fine Art from the University of Colorado, Denver Campus, in 1977.
After graduation from college, Colleen worked at various jobs and took extensive backpacking trips throughout the west, primarily in Colorado and Utah. She spent a number of months in San Miguel de Allene, Mexico, where she studied briefly at the Escuela de Bellas Artes. Her time in Mexico was life-changing for her.
In 1979 she met Michael Hettich, who was to become her husband and life-partner for 44 years. They were married in 1981, in a meadow in Red Rocks Park (Denver Mountain Park). They then moved to Green Cove Springs, Florida, followed by Brattleboro, Vermont, and from there to Miami, Florida, where they lived for most of the rest of their lives, settling in Miami Shores. In 2018, following their retirement from Miami Dade College, Colleen and Michael moved to Black Mountain.
Colleen's career was wide-ranging and various. For a number of years she served as Program Coordinator for Books & Books, Miami's largest bookstore. She moved from there to become a Program Coordinator for The Miami Book Fair and Florida Center for the Literary Arts. In 2004 she became Director of The Earth Ethics Institute at Miami Dade College, where she instituted many college-wide programs and oversaw a staff of full-time, part-time and volunteer employees. She made a huge impact on each of the five campuses of this huge college and changed many students' lives for the better. In her honor, The Earth Ethics Institute has established The Colleen Ahern-Hettich Scholarship for Engaged Earth Literacy. She retired in 2018.
Colleen's parents were Richard Allan Ahern, an electrician with Public Service of Colorado, and the former Bernita Barday, a homemaker. The couple had five children, Danean, Colleen, Mary, Patrick and Shelly.
In 2018, her husband, Michael Hettich, retired from Miami Dade College after 28 years as a Professor of English and Creative Writing.
Colleen and Michael had three children: Audrey (deceased at birth); Matthew Hettich (1985) of Santa Fe, NM; and Caitlin Hettich (1987) of Black Mountain. They also have two grandchildren, Owen and Leo, both of Black Mountain. Caitlin is married to Dr. Casey Sharpe, and Matthew is in committed partnership with Emmanuelle John.
Those desiring to make a memorial contribution are encouraged to consider The Colleen Ahern-Hettich Scholarship for Engaged Earth Literacy. Information is available at The Earth Ethics Institute at Miami Dade College website. https://www.gofundme.com/f/colleen-ahernhettich-scholarship-for-engaged-earth-literacy. To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Colleen, please visit our floral store.