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Obituary and life story submitted by friends and family.

R

alf Heit, born January 20, 1951, died unexpectedly but peacefully at his home in Anchorage, Alaska, on April 25, 2025.

Ralf and his wife Judi moved to Oriental in 1994, spending more than twenty years together in the community.

Following Judi’s death in 2019, Ralf relocated to Fitzwilliam, New Hampshire to be near family. He thrived on his homestead for four years. In 2023, he moved to Anchorage for “one last adventure.”

Ralf practicing his on-the-water balance skills.

Ralf shared many stories and memories of his time in Oriental, a place close to his heart. In fact, he started each day by checking the TownDock website for weather, news, and the quote of the day.

He was proud of the house and shop he built in Oriental, of the set and scenery work he did for the theater, and his foiled (by government regulations) attempt to clean up the river water with oysters.

Ralf Heit (left) and Rick Smith at the 2014 Chili Cookoff. They dressed as Rigor & Mortis, serving up Resurrection Chili. They won for ‘Best Presentation.’

Ralf’s favorite place to be was out on a boat, surrounded by nothing but water – said it was a reminder of where humans fit in the scale of the world. He always wanted to do his part to make the world a better place.

Many who knew him will recall his support and generosity, as well as his clown nose and jokes…

So tell your Ralf stories, be good to your animals and plants, and take care of each other. He is gone, but not forgotten.

Ralf with his lamb in New Hampshire.

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Editor’s note: After the above was published, Ralf’s friend (and ex employee) Amron Myers wrote in with her memories:

O

h dear, dear Ralf. After someone dies we are flooded with memories of that person and, thankfully for me, my memories are of a double feature film with an extended director’s cut.

Ralf was my very first boss. I started working for Ralf and Judi at Scoot’s when I was 15. I quickly became one of their children and never doubted that I was loved, cared for and, most importantly, respected by both of them. Scoot’s was a community spot and everyone who walked through the door was known by name and likely what their order was. (But truth be told, Ralf wasn’t always the best influence, like the time he offered me draft Bavaria beer at 9 o’clock in the morning!)

After Ralf and Judi sold Scoot’s we never lost touch. I can remember hearing his truck pull into my driveway, always with a cigar in his mouth and his trusty pups’ heads out the window. He would just be popping by to check in and the conversation would usually last well into a full dance of swatting mosquitoes.

Years went by with random Ralf visits until I started working at The Bean in Oriental. There he was a regular customer and always had an inappropriate joke to share too early in the day for most! I was beyond fortunate to have Ralf in my life. I could go on and on about how wonderful he was, but I will leave you with one of my most favorite memories…

In the fall of 2014 I asked Ralf if he would help me make a rocking horse for my almost 3 year old daughter, Clara. This would turn into one of the most special gifts because we built and painted it together in his workshop. I would tell Clara I was going to help Santa make her a very special Christmas gift and that is genuinely what it felt like. I would drive into the woods to their beautiful property and head to the workshop to get started. He would almost always tell me to blast the music and “really get into it, be one with the rocking horse!”

Ralf builds the rocking horse.

Amron with the completed Christmas gift.

That Christmas was magical and a day or so after I brought Clara to Ralf and Judi’s house to bring them some pastries we made as a thank you. That first visit would turn into a regular thing for us. Sometimes we would do crafts, sometimes we would just sit around the fire, we baked focaccia bread, and went to the neighbors to feed the donkey. Ralf has given me so many gifts of time with him and I will forever be grateful. Your legacy of acceptance, love, laughter and inappropriate jokes will live on with me. Cheers to you, Ralf.

Sincerely with love,
Amron

Posted Wednesday May 14, 2025 by Allison DeWeese