David Heller had health problems.
In his early 20s, he contracted diabetes, which led to painful and debilitating conditions, reduced vision and a highly risky pancreatic-kidney transplant a dozen years ago.
Still, Heller was such an energetic and vital man that the news of his death Jan. 28 jolted his family. Not one of them could ever remember hearing him complain about his physical condition and, quite simply, he was one of those men you thought would live forever.
Heller, a South African-born high-tech pioneer who developed a blood-warming machine during the decades he lived in Great Britain, was killed in a single car crash in central California. He was 60.
The Foster City resident was highly active in the area’s Jewish community, helping to co-found the Mid-Peninsula Jewish Day School, which his son, Andrew, attended.
As a young man, Heller volunteered to fight in the Six-Day War, but was assigned a desk job instead. He was never one to complain, however, and helped out in the manner the Israeli military saw fit.
The circumstances of his death were bitterly ironic. He was on his way to Southern California to sell a large SUV he felt was jinxed. He’d had trouble controlling the vehicle, which he felt was too large for him, and had been bumping into things.
He’d called his wife, Etta, after passing by Los Banos, telling her everything was OK. But, shortly thereafter, he drove off the side of the road and was killed. While some are speculating that he suffered a heart attack or stroke, his daughter, Stacey Sager, is unconvinced.
“He was easily distracted, like a lot of really bright people,” she said. “My father was an incredible man, but he was not a great driver.”
Heller, who earned a number of engineering degrees and had a brilliant mind for gadgetry and electronics, was described as very down-to-earth and accessible. Even back in the 1970s, he loved building computers, and often presented them to friends and family members as surprise gifts.
David Heller is survived by his wife, Etta, of Foster City; daughter Stacey Sager and son Andrew Heller, both of New York City; and sister Yona Goldberg of Washington, D.C.