Matthew Heitkamp Memorial Project

Category: Memories

  • Happy Birthday to Ezra Voice Memo

    From Ezra:

    Matthew made sure to sing me Happy Birthday every year, and I know he did it for many others too. Here is the last time he sung it to me, on my birthday in 2025. Matt and I made a habit of making kissy noises whenever we said goodbye, blowing kisses when he left my house, or at the end of a phone call. This habit spread among our friends, but I’m pretty sure it started with the two of us. He ends his song with a slew of kisses, and I’m forever grateful to have a recording of it. – Love, Ezra xx MWAH

  • Matt Singing Spring Breakers

    From Ezra, here’s Matt singing Spring Breakers by Charli XCX

  • McLeansboro Eclipse

    McLeansboro Eclipse

  • Chicken Jesus

    Chicken Jesus

    From Rae:

    Last summer in 2025, I traveled to Pennsylvania to visit my in-laws. Early in the morning before we left for the airport, there was a “small fire” in my chicken coop, which I had just moved my young chickens into. In a panic, I doused the fire, called my mom, and left for the airport.

    My mom confirmed the chickens were alright… but I couldn’t stop thinking about them. That night I was up late, anxiety stricken, worried about my chickens. I had installed a webcam in the henhouse, but couldn’t see the chickens anywhere. I feared that they were all dead from smoke inhalation, or traumatized from the fire. It was the middle of the night and I didn’t know what to do, hundreds of miles from home.

    Then something told me: reach out to Matthew

    He went right over, reassured me they were ok, helped them into the henhouse and hung out with them as the sun rose

  • Fireworks

    From Rose:

    Matthew loved fireworks. New Year’s Eve in Hawaii one year, we watched fireworks go off all across Honolulu from our place at the top of a hill. Thirty minutes before midnight, someone across the street must have decided they didn’t want to wait any longer. You can hear Matt’s casual approval with a “that’s pretty good” at the end of this video. It was nothing compared to the 10 different separate streams of fireworks across the city that came 30 minutes later, but it was magic.

  • People Who Love Me

    People Who Love Me

    Note: Our parents gave us each a hope chest one year. Rose went through the contents of hers and found this photo album

  • Wizard of Oz in Las Vegas

    Shared by Matthew’s mom, Cheryl

  • Persephone’s Funeral

    From Katie:

    Matthew always loved my pets. I had a dog, cat, lizard, and two fish tanks in 2020. He learned the names of my fish and always asked me about how they were doing.

    One of my fish, a pleco named Persephone, passed away. Matt had the idea we should hold a funeral for her, before flushing her down the toilet. We sat around the toilet and he asked if anyone would like to say any words about her.

    I was unsure what to say.

    Matt said “Okay I’ll go”.

    He paused. Then he said, “She was a good fish”.

    I completely crumbled and cried in Matt’s arms.

    Looking back, it seems ridiculous. But Matt was the best friend.

  • Bookends

    Bookends

  • Matthew retelling Dad’s story