Otto Ambrose Heck, age 91 years, of Raritan Township, NJ, died peacefully on Thursday, February 4, 2021 at Hunterdon Care Center, Raritan Township, NJ.

Born in College Point, NY, August 26, 1929, son of the late Frederick and Marie Dvorak Heck, Otto was raised in Bayside, Queens, NY and had lived in Kingwood Township, NJ for over fifty years prior to moving to Raritan Township three years ago.

Graduating from Saint Fidelis Elementary/Middle School in College Point, NY in 1944, he went on to graduate from Bayside High School in 1948, earning a Biological Sciences Award from the New York Association of Teachers of the Biological Sciences for his exemplary effort and scholarship in Biology. Otto would go on to earn his BS in Biology from Fordham University and his MA in Biology from the University of Oregon. He also studied at Cornell University where he took several classes specializing in vertebrate zoology.

With a passion for the sciences and ecology that was unmatched, Otto channeled his passions into helping the environment as well as teaching. He began teaching ninth-grade general science and biology at Island Trees Memorial High School in East Meadow, NY. It was there that his classroom, Room 221, became known as, “The Zoo” as he kept a large collection of snakes, lizards, salamanders, and toads. He instilled in his students a passion for ecology and respect for the environment and God’s creation, and drove his students to find out why and how they as humans existed in the world.

He would later become a Professor of Biology at Trenton State College, where he was admired by colleagues and students alike. His passion for the classroom was not confined to the brick and mortar structures of the campus, but he was often leading trips into the wilderness to show his students biology in action; he knew the New Jersey Pine barrens like the back of his hand and many of his classes benefited greatly from this real world immersion into nature.

During the summer months for many decades, Otto was the Program Director for nature study courses in geology, plant and insect relationships, bird study, plant and animal ecology and marine biology at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. The laboratory’s director during this time was Dr. James D. Watson, Nobel prize winner in 1962. Otto was quoted during his Cold Spring Harbor time as saying, “It is one of the intangible rewards of this work, that we had hand in forming people’s interest in the life sciences as a career”. His son Richard is a geologist; his daughter Kathy has a passion for shell identification and beach combing and his granddaughter Megan Herbers  has her undergraduate degree in marine science, master’s in marine mammal medicine and is a veterinarian.

Otto was a specialist in Corn Snakes and also Great Horned Owls, and did a large amount of research on the two; he spoke at many conferences and was called on to consult about the species many times for various reasons. He was always interested in the flora and fauna of an environments and had a passion for ferns. A member of the Delaware and Eastern PA Fern societies, he gave many enjoyable lectures to students and groups over the years. He was also a longtime member of the Herpetological Society and the Audubon Society and was active with the Environmental Protection Agency of New Jersey. Otto was a true educator through and through, and his passion drove others to want to learn and share in his love of learning.

He was happily married to Kathleen Miriam Ballard Heck for 68 years, with the couple set to celebrate their sixty-ninth wedding anniversary on February 12. She was his loving partner and confident, and the couple had eight wonderful children. Kathleen wasn’t necessarily a fan of having snakes in their home, as it was not uncommon to find snakes that accidentally got out of their cages but other than that, she certainly supported Otto with all his endeavors. He was also known to bring home owls, to live with his family in a crate, who had gotten injured. He would tape their wings and release them when able to fly, which my mother would often figure out when bird droppings were noticed on curtains, and the owl was happily flying around the home.

A United States Army veteran, he was honorably discharged in 1954 as a First Lieutenant and would go on to become a proud member of the American Legion. It is also noteworthy that Otto earned his Eagle Scout in 1949 from the Boy Scouts of America, Troop 95, of which he was most proud.

In addition to education and the environment, Otto loved to read and play cards, with him being a wiz at pinochle and hearts. He was also fond of hiking Mt. Washington, which he did many, many times, and you could always find him “hoo-ing” to the owls, who would appear out of nowhere, in a quiet wooded environment responding to his calls.

Otto will be remembered as a passionate educator, a man who would do anything for anyone, a devoted family man, and man of faith who put his hope and trust in a good and loving God. He will be missed, but his legacy will live on in all those whose hearts he touched, both directly and indirectly, over the years.

In addition to his parents and two children, Kerry in 1971 and Donna in 2014, he was preceded in death by two brothers, Fred and Robert Heck.

He is survived by his cherished wife, Kathleen; his children and their spouses, Kathleen and Mark Herbers, Richard and Karen Heck, Barbara Heck, Dianne and Ricky Paetzell, Jeanna and Rodney Trugman, and Peter and Patty Heck; many grandchildren and great grandchildren; several nieces, nephews and extended family; his many students from over the years; and many friends.

Otto will lie in repose on Monday, February 8, 2021 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. in the Chapel of Wright & Ford Family Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 38 State Highway 31, Flemington, NJ.

There will also be an additional period of visitation at the funeral home on Tuesday, February 9, 2021, from 9:00-9:30 a.m..

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Magdalen Church, 105 Mine Street, Flemington, NJ on Tuesday, February 9, 2021 at 10:00 a.m., and to which all are welcome.

Following mass, Otto will be laid to rest with military honors in the family plot at Mount St. Mary Cemetery, 172-00 Booth Memorial Avenue, Flushing, NY 11365.

Realizing that many people will be unable to attend due to the current pandemic restrictions, the visitation Tuesday morning beginning at 9:00 a.m. followed by the Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00 a.m. will be live-streamed with the following link allowing you to be a part of the services virtually: please click HERE to watch the VIEWING at the funeral home followed by the MASS at church (kindly ensure that you do not have a pop-up blocker installed).

It is important to remember that given the current state of the pandemic, masks must be worn at all times on funeral home, church, and cemetery grounds, and social distancing must be maintained. Please follow the instructions of the Wright & Ford Care Team Family Ambassadors upon arrival at each location. It is also requested that you please remember that only a certain number of people are allowed in the funeral home at any given time so we ask you to please remain cognizant of your time spent with the family so that others may express their love and support as well.

You are encouraged to visit Otto’s permanent life celebration site at www.wrightfamily.com to light a candle of hope, leave messages of condolence, share words of comfort and recollection, and post photographs of his life.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in his name may be made to the St. Francis Mission, P.O. Box 499, St. Francis, SD 57572 or online by clicking HERE.

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Wright & Ford, your local, family owned & operated “Life Celebration Home”