MATTHEW HELLER

HELLER--Matt. Matthew Benjamin Heller, 63 years too young, of Manhattan and Bellport, NY, died suddenly and unexpectedly in his sleep early Friday morning of June 16, 2023. His best friend and partner in crime of 44 years, Susan Holmes, and the World's Greatest Son, Nathaniel Heller, are devastated. Matt was known for his humor, intellect, generosity and incredible handiness. He always said 'I'm the guy you want in the lifeboat with you' and it was true. He was a loyal friend, brother, nephew, uncle and son who would drop everything and use his own vacation days away from his own young family to fly to your side to drive, shop, cook, do laundry when your husband died suddenly (Meredithe), your baby needed surgery (Matt's twin, Laura) or you had a life altering stroke at 39 (Marcus). Matt would say 'I have to go' and Susan would say 'Yes, of course you do, Nathaniel and I will be fine, Go). He took care of both his parents at the end of their lives and was enormously helpful with Susan's parents at the end of theirs. He would take and pick friends up from drs appointments, surgery, collect their prescriptions for them. It was not uncommon for him to deep clean your stove if he came for the weekend. He once gifted a dear friend a new washing machine. Matt was born in Washington DC on November 12, 1959 along with his twin Laura joining older sister Karen. Jim and Bobbie didn't know they were having twins! Schools were John Eaton, Georgetown Day School, Northfield Mount Hermon and Brown University Class of '82 where he met Susan beginning of sophomore year. Within two weeks Susan knew Matt was the man that she would marry. She still cannot believe this cool guy chose nerdy her. Matt swallowed his chewing tobacco to kiss her the first time. Matt made and kept many friends from every part of his life and was good about staying in touch with phone calls and visits, dinners in the city, hiking and skiing trips and rendezvous abroad, and football games most of them the terrible Washington football team. 'Well, we won the tailgate!' he would say. Matt was editor of the paper at NMH (his mentor Bill Batty, who famously got him reinstated after he got kicked out, an adolescent right of passage for some) and worked on Brown's paper. A New York Times reader since high school in a family of New York Times readers Matt wrote funny and informative notes to Susan in the margins and scribbled out all the bad guys faces. He mostly successfully completed the crossword puzzle every day even when working full time. In ink. Never pencil. He was excited when he once got Will Shortz on the phone! Matt was a superb writer and excellent public speaker. Matt had a successful career in advertising at agencies J. Walter Thompson, Ammirati and Puris, Deutsch, McCann and Draft FCB in Chicago. He was known for being a smart and intuitive account executive and organizing fun parties and outings. Work was never only about work. He said 'I'm a suit but I'm a cool suit.' Most people who met him thought he must be on the creative side because he was so darn hip and handsome and Susan dressed him so well. He had the most gorgeous thick head of hair and beautiful blue eyes still, at 63. The most interesting thing on Matt's resume to interviewers was the three summers he spent in Alaska, first doing every odd job and then commercial Salmon fishing. It was dangerous work but Matt was born fearless. He also worked for an educational non-profit in Virginia called Communities in Schools. Education was very important to Matt and he loved those students many of whom were the first in their family to go to college. Many people Matt hired and worked with became dear friends. And he counseled everyone both career wise and money wise. 'You have to buy NYC real estate! Even if you want to move to Connecticut, that will be your healthy down payment!' Matt was gregarious, the best DJ, (he loved his vinyl!), a lifelong lover of live music going to concerts before he was even a teenager and putting all his ticket stubs in a wooden cigar box. Matt and Susan took Nathaniel to concerts starting when he was five. Even on school nights. Nathaniel now runs a music label. Matt was a superb cook, he set a beautiful table, he bought Susan flowers every week from the farmer's market. 'I'm going to make someone a good wife one day', he would say. His annual Christmas goose was legendary. He loved his vintage 2001 BMW M5. People would honk approval on the highway. And come up to him in parking lots admiring it and sometimes offering to buy it. It was never for sale. Matt was Susan and Nathaniel's biggest cheerleader, advisor, and moral compass. He loved his new life in Bellport. He would text Susan 'I love our house! I pinch myself every day at our good fortune'. He never took anyone or anything he loved for granted. If you would like to make a donation in honor of Matt, he volunteered for the Bishop Walker School in Washington DC for six years and with the Boys and Girls Club of Bellport/Brookhaven. We love you and will miss you forever Matt. Our hearts are broken and the days are too long without you. Susan and Nathaniel