Community steps in to help fill gap

After crash kills selfless mother of four, friends and strangers aim to keep family in home

Myung Oak Kim, Rocky Mountain News

Published October 27, 2007 at midnight

Text size

More Local News

More stories »

Heidi Acker never had enough money to pay the bills for the past five years.

But the Littleton day-care teacher and mother of four always had something to give.

She slept on an old sunken couch in the living room so her kids could have the bedrooms.

She was the loudest fan at her children's soccer, cross country and gymnastics events.

She volunteered at almost every school or extracurricular activity fundraiser.

She advised and comforted struggling parents and friends.

Since Heidi's death last Saturday in a freak car accident, friends and strangers are stepping up to give back. The goal is to keep the children, ages 14 to 22, in their home until the youngest graduates from high school.

The student council at Dakota Ridge High School, where the two youngest children attend, raised $1,000 in a one-day class-to-class fundraiser.

The family's church, Belleview Community Church, is picking up the tab for the funeral and burial.

And local restaurants, Red Robin and Chick-fil-A, and Boy Scout troops also are raising money.

'We were dirt poor'

The response is a testament to Heidi's character, said friend Jerice Stowe.

Tall and willowy with high, apple-shaped cheekbones and straight raven hair, the 50-year-old German-born immigrant was selfless to a fault. She preached compassion. And she dreamed of seeing her children graduate from college.

"She just was an angel, as a friend, as a mom and to the community," Stowe said.

"She has been living and dealing with unbelievable odds. She didn't allow the circumstances . . . to dampen her spirit."

Trish Loupee, another longtime friend, is coordinating fundraising. Loupee said she never saw Heidi buy anything, "not even a stick of gum," for herself.

"She took clothes from me," Loupee said. "If you asked her to go out, she wouldn't do it. It would be her last $2 and she would need it for the children."

The financial troubles began when Heidi's husband moved out and the couple later divorced.

Her income from Belleview Acres Day Care Center in Littleton barely covered the mortgage.

"We were dirt poor," said son David, 19. "She was so worried about it. I don't know how we got by."

Heidi drove the kids to their activities in a beat-up 1993 Dodge Caravan donated by her church.

The church cook sent home leftovers. Heidi never knew the source, but the church also has been paying the Xcel bill for the past two years.

Car flipped

The eldest child, Sonja, 22, buys groceries with her income from her cashier job at Pet-Smart. She's about to graduate from Metropolitan State College of Denver where she is on full scholarship.

Despite the financial hardships, Heidi often refused help.

Last Saturday, she went on a date to a Buddhist shrine at Red Feather Lakes. She was on her way home, riding in the passenger seat of the car, when it began to snow.

A tire slipped off the remote mountain road in Larimer County and the car flipped, her children said. Heidi was wearing a seatbelt, but she died instantly from the force of the crash.

When she died, Heidi was wearing the small, silver heart pendant her son Christopher, 16, had given her and a jean jacket handed down from a friend's mother.

She will be buried in that same jean jacket, Levi jeans, a black T-shirt and black loafers. At the service, the children will play songs by the Rolling Stones, her favorite band.

Services will be Monday at Belleview Community Church, 12472 W. Belleview Ave. in Jefferson County. The viewing is from 10 to 11:30 a.m. and the service is from noon to 1 p.m. The burial is private.

kimm@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-2361

Subscribe to the Rocky Mountain News