Tucker Heintz
Tucker Heintz will be remembered by the countless lives he impacted before passing away on August 25, 2014. Born April 12, 1974, surfer, foodie, and kind-hearted with a crazy sense of humor and inventive creativity are only a few words to describe him. Tucker started surfing as a young boy living on the beach in Malibu. His immediate love for the ocean was apparent as he would build drift-wood forts on the beach next to his house and spend the nights listening to the waves and his days surfing them.
Tucker spent his teenage years in Thousand Oaks, CA where he and his sister, Janna, were originally born. Still managing to surf mornings before school, he graduated Thousand Oaks High School in 1992 where he met some of his life-long friends, including Nick Isé.
Tucker’s passion for the ocean continued as Santa Barbara became his home town after high school where he met Rick Tontz, his forever surfing brother. His commitment to the community continued where he spent the next 22 years of his life as a restaurant manager and bartender for many local favorites, including The Brewhouse and The Endless Summer Bar-Cafe. Recently, Tucker obtained his dream job at a local tech startup company.
Many of his friends and former employees looked up to Tucker as a big brother and he was also known as Uncle Tuck to his nieces and nephew: Michelle, Rebecca, Emily, Matthew, and Jessica.
A special thanks to Tucker’s Oncologist, Dr. Daniel Greenwald and the 5 South staff at Cottage Hospital who took excellent care of him. Throughout his battle with pancreatic cancer, Tucker was surrounded with love by family and close friends. His mother, Scotty Miller, was honored to spend every day during the last three months helping him through this difficult journey.
Tucker is survived by his mother Scotty Miller, father Ken Heintz, sister Janna Jagoe, step-father David Miller, step-mother Suzanne Heintz, and many members of their extended families.
Tucker’s memorial service will be held on Saturday, September 6th at Leadbetter Beach, 402 East Ortega Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. The beach gathering and paddle out starts at 2:00pm. A celebration of Tucker’s life will be from 4 – 7pm at The Endless Summer, 113 Harbor Way, Suite 180, Santa Barbara, CA 93109.
Tucker is being honored as the 2014 The Friendship Paddle (www.friendshippaddle.org) recipient. It’s a wonderful event and Tucker had so wanted to be able to still be with us in October. We invite you to check out this great group of men who paddle miles in the ocean to make a difference in the lives of others. Their hearts are huge! Tucker’s name will live on in part by being selected. Thank you guys! You are the best.