Ara's memory lives on!
We now have a scholarship set up for the boys at UNL Rugby.

Your child, your dear Ara.....Nothing can separate your hearts and souls not time, not space, not death. We hold you all in our hearts and prayers with the passing of your beloved Ara. May God give you peace.

Much Love
Denny and Tom


We loved having Ara come to our house to ride the 4-wheeler! That signature grin was plastered on his face! I will always treasure that memory. 
May the LORD enfold you in HIS love & peace.
I am so very, very sorry.
Peggy

Christy, I am so sorry for your loss.  I will keep you and your family in my prayers.

My heart aches for Ara. My deepest and most sincere condolences for The Heimbrock Family.

Yesenia 

I mostly remember Ara’s  famous smile as a happy preschooler. He was always such fun.  My love and prayers go out to you. Love, Carol Davenport

Roy and Christy, we are so very sorry to hear of your loss and want to let you know that we are thinking of you and your family and sending our prayers.

Lynn and Gavin Walden

Roy, Christy, and family,
With a sad, heavy heart, I send  my sincerest condolences for your  loss. My thoughts and prayers are with all of you.
Linda Ryan

Sorry to here about your loss, you will be in my prayers during this difficult time

Roy,
I am so sorry for your loss. May God comfort you and Christy during this difficult time.  Prayers for your family!

Roy,

Just wanted to say that I am very sorry for your loss, and I will be praying for you and your family. 

With deepest sympathy, 
Tammie Tedford

Roy, Christy, & Family,
There are no words for the loss you are experiencing, but you have our deepest condolences. We will always remember Ara because he always spoke in Spanish to us. He would always greet us with the friendliest “Hola amigos! Cómo están?” And during Christmas when we would bring tamales to the house and he’d say “los tamales, mis favoritos! Feliz Navidad Amigos!” We send prayers and love to you and your family. May God be with you.
Rest In Peace, Amigo Ara!

As a coach you should never have a favorite. But Ara was mine, every time I wanted to get mad? His smile would lite me up. I truly loved this kid, he did way more for  me then I ever did  for him. I love you #3, You, Roy and Christy will always be in my prayers.




To the Heimbrock Family,

We are so incredibly sorry for you loss.  My son Joe played football and lacrosse with Ara.  Although I didn’t know him well personally I will never forget his smile.  May he Rest In Peace. My heart goes out to Christy and Roy and you are in my thoughts and prayers.  

Love,
Jenny Kercher 

Ara always had a huge smile on his face. We loved watching our boys grow up from the sidelines. We are heartbroken and send hugs and love to Christy, Roy and family.  

Christy, Roy and the Heimbork Family,
There are no words to express the sorrow for your loss.  Ara's passing is a loss to the world.  My son sang in Meistersingers with Ara, played football, and rugby with him.  In fact, Ara invited Carson to play rugby,  introducing a whole new world and passion for my son.  Ara was the most gentlemanly and kind young man.  He always made an effort to speak with me at the various events our families shared together.  If you asked my son, every time we walked away from a conversation with Ara, I would say, "I just love that kid."  I loved Ara's kind soul, sweet nature and unabashed generosity to form connections with people that made them feel appreciated.   I am so very sorry for your loss and share in your profound grief. 

Christy and Roy,
Ara was an exceptional young man. Loved by his peers and their parents alike. You and your family are in our thoughts and prayers. The world is not as bright without him. 
Nadia & Martin

I had the honor of coaching Ara during his senior year in Rugby at Cherry Creek. He was the cornerstone of our forward pack both physically and emotionally. He came to every practice ready to work hard with that huge smile on his face. His attitude was infectious and his leadership helped us return the program to winning.

There was one instance when after a particularly hard conditioning session everyone was collapsed on the ground. Ara looked up at me breathing hard like I just told him the best joke he had ever heard and said "good one coach... good one"

I am gonna miss him a ton. My heart goes out to Christy and Roy.  All of the players and coaches loved him deeply and we are so sorry for your loss.



As we all know, Ara was one of the nicest people on the planet and really touched everybody’s life he came in contact with. He and I played football together our freshman year of high school and if I’m being honest, he was a major factor in my motivation to keep playing that year and not quit. Although he and I played very different positions, we hung out all the time during practice and workouts. He always pushed me to get better and to work harder. As the year went on we grew closer and closer and maintained a great friendship throughout our time at Creek. I remember he always had a smile on his face and kept everybody around him laughing. That’s what I’ll remember about him the most. His ability to make everybody laugh and share his smile with us. He was a role model for me and I always looked up to him wishing I could share some of his wonderful characteristics. He was the kind of friend everybody needed.  Some of my favorite ski trips were with him in winter park, and trust me he was a far superior skier but in trying to keep up with him, we both got a good laugh out of some of my tumbles.  Ara is flying high and I will continue to keep him and his family in my thoughts and prayers. God bless you Ara. Rest easy. 

Roy, I am so sorry for your loss of Ara.  I remember him from the breakfast we enjoyed at the Arapahoe Café in Dillon, and thought what a fine young man he is.  I pray you, Christy and family find comfort in the joy Ara brought into your lives, and find the grace to bear this unimaginable grief and sorrow.

Your friend,

Marsh

My son Jesse grew up with Ara (from High Plains to Cherry Creek HS).  Like others have said, Ara had a sparkle about him that always left a big mark.  Although I haven't seen Ara for for several years, his smile and sweetness made an immediate and lasting impression on me from the days at High Plains.   Christie and family, my heart goes out to you for this unimaginable loss.  I am thinking of you now and forever. 

We had the honor of knowing Ara.  As many have said, his smile was infectious and would brighten any day.  My favorite memory was about 4 years ago when we were visiting Roy and Christy.  We were saying hello to everyone present and Ara came into the room.  I reached out to shake his hand and he immediately gave me a hug that realigned my spine.  He stood back with a smile and said "we are a hugging family."  It was that way from then on.

Roy and Christy I can't imagine the pain.  Just rest in the love of your friends and the love Ara brought to others while he was with us.  Our prayers are with you and the Family.

Dear Heimbrocks, 

Hello. My name is Rylan Korpi. You don't know me, but I knew Ara. Honestly, I'm not too sure how much I can say that last sentence.  I was a teammate of his for rugby @ UNL, and that is pretty much the only place I ever interacted with him, aside from a couple chats bumping into each other in the dorm halls. That being said, he always left a lasting impression. 

I started playing rugby this last semester and he was one of if not the nicest person there. Humble, focused, sometimes quiet, but you always felt good having him on your side. I remember during a break in our first game against the Lincoln Wolves,  Coach Niko told him to 'stop being so nice', that he was powerful and he needed to go out there and shove those guys around. Everyone laughed because it was true, Ara was always nice, even to his opponents. Whenever he showed intensity in a match, he was not someone to mess with. Frankly, he wasn't someone to mess with even on the field even when he was nice. 

Due to the short season, I never got to flesh out a friendship with him, but I am thankful for the time I was able to spend with him. He made the experience of learning rugby more joyous than it already was. If there is anything else I can do to honor him or support you, please let me know.

I thank you for raising and influencing a wonderful man, and my heart goes out to you all.

Smiling as he would want us to,

Rylan

Another great memory at Roy's Restaurant with the whole group.

Our prayers are with you and your entire family at this time. 

There are many great memories that Judy and I have with the Heimbrock family, but at the top of the list is the wonderful trip to Hawaii we took with Ara, Christy, and Roy.  It was a week filled with games and relaxation. One of the great memories included watching Roy and Ara take off for a helicopter ride while Jude and I played golf below them. We enjoyed many relaxing afternoons and nights, cooking meals outside, and playing cards. One of the best  days was out on the fishing boat catching the nights dinner, and relaxing while the captain trolled the water. 
Ara you will be truly missed by all that you had the opportunity to meet, and they will always have your radiant smile in their hearts. 

Roy

Your Family at Boys Town National Hotline here in Omaha pray for you and all of your family during this time.

We are here to help if needed

Bob

https://www.yourlifeyourvoice.org/Pages/home.aspx 

We did not have the pleasure of meeting Ara and have been inspired with the memories we've read from others. His time was short, but his impact on this world was significant. He touched many and enriched their lives   

The Heimbrock family is in our prayers. In time, sorrow will gradually be replaced with the memories. Treasure each. 

God Bless. 

Paul and Trish Larkin. 





Having known Roy since college, I have lots of pictures with Roy and Christy, but not as many as I hoped with Ara.  This one was a family trip in 2008 to Winter Park and the Heimbrock  mountain house.  You can see he was the youngest in the group.  Ara did a great job of keeping up with the "big kids" and an amazing skier (way better than me!)

The consistent descriptions and characteristics in these notes show the genuine nature of Ara.  I was not around him a lot, but these comments all represent my thoughts and memories.    

Roy, Christy, Adam and Sarah, we are grieving with you. You have so many people thinking about you.  Love Tom and Ann



When we think of Ara, we think of his big bear hugs, his wide smile, his loving heart, and his gentle soul. From the time we first met Christy and Ara when picking Ara and Allison up from kindergarten, we were family. From that moment on, to Ara, we were always Mimi and Aunt Chris - not because we were Allison and Brad’s Mimi and Aunt Chris - but because he immediately adopted us as his own family, and he became one of ours. We both dearly loved Ara as one of our own. The light in his eyes, his smile, and his warm, genuine hugs are indelibly imprinted in our hearts. Christy and Roy, our love and prayers are with you and your family. 

Tonight we held a small memorial get together in Lincoln for Ara hosted by the Lincoln Wolves Men Club. His Nebraska rugby teammates that are in Lincoln joined Wolves players reminiscing about his impact to Nebraska rugby. We cried,  hugged and laughed  while exchanging stories  taking a step forward in celebrating his life.  My name is Niko Waqalaivi and I’m one of Ara Coaches at UNL. From the first day we met,  he has only being late to practice once due to taking a test. He is always 30 minutes early sitting by the pitch with his “beats on” singing while waiting for his teammates to arrive. Since I’m always early, it gives me a chance for small talk about how his day is going etc..  I’m going to miss our chat. At practice he is always correcting me telling me that I’m pronouncing his  name wrongly  whenever I’m on him about something. Then he smiles which he knows he has my full attention. I can say we have a good relationship where I can get on his face letting him know what I expected from him and he never let me down.  I remembered two times where I had to pull him aside at halftime and gave him a little tough love talk. Basically “ I’m getting tired of you being over friendly with the opponents. Your Teammates are looking up to you so be a Leader and Lead by example.  Make your opponents fear and respect you and your Teammates will follow. You can always hug and apologize later but not right now.” His answer is “Coach I know” and he turned it On and led by example. I’m going to miss Ara. I’m going to miss our small talks before practice. I’m going to miss yelling mispronouncing his name both at practice and at games. His opponents will miss him. I received messages from Our Conference Coaches letting me know that they will miss the big teddy bear Husker. Most of all I’m going to miss his smile and his singing. Ara, You will always be  Husker Rugger! 

Dear Christy and Roy,
Having known you, Christy for 25 years, and Roy for 35 years, I know what an amazing, bright light Ara was, and will always be in your hearts.  You two are incredibly loving, caring, accepting, positive, happy people, and are exemplary parents.  Knowing and loving you two, I love Ara the same.  So many are blessed to have known Ara.  We are also blessed by how our lives are enhanced by your friendship.  Christy, you remain my twin in my heart always.  I am grieving alongside you, Roy, Adam and Sarah, and praying for comfort for all of you.  I love you with all my heart. 

It is often said that “we are better people for having known someone.”  In the case of Ara Heimbrock, we are better for having been loved by him.  The only thing bigger than Ara the man was his smile, his heart and his love that many of us were so fortunate to receive.  As a parent, we know what unconditional love is...from the moment our children are born to moments of tragedy when we hug them tighter than they understand why.  But for Ara, all love was unconditional.  His love for our children and our family is beyond explanation.  Our daughter and son had a brother in Ara...his memories and smile will be with us forever.  Ara, thank you for loving us.  We love you. 

One of the happiest faces I ever saw gracing  the halls of High Plains Elementary School, was that of Ara's. The second smiling face was always Christie's.  Ara brought sunshine into every space he filled, and his laugh was contagious. What a sweet and wonderful heart. I will never forget him. I am so sorry for this unimaginable and tremendous  loss to such a wonderful family. I am thinking of you. 
Love, Pat Marden, Teacher at High Plains

Ara was one of those few and far in between people who are content to sit, listen, and smile to the world around them. On the rugby pitch he was a force to be reckoned with, and the first day I met him I knew he was already going to be one our best players this last season. Ara was easy going, but always sure that everyone knew he was there with a massive booming voice. God bless him, and God bless your family.

I met Ara while he was playing rugby at UNL. I played a hand full of games against him and one thing was always a constant when him was his smile . It seam like if he took a big hit or hit someone hard he always did it with a smile on his face. After games he always showed some of the best sportsmanship. Always have good things to say about the game. He truly had a passion for rugby and it show on and off the field. Ara you will be missed my friend rest easy.

My most sincere condolences to all who loved and knew Ara, we all lost a great friend.   To Roy and Christy, I want you to know it was an absolute blessing to know and coach your son.  I have a video saved on my phone of him singing piano man during the trip to Kansas State, I'll never forget that voice and smile.  The picture attached is from that video.

Besides coaching Nebraska, I also play for the men's team and last fall we played Nebraska several times.   Almost every single teammate of mine has echoed the same thoughts of Ara.  Which was,  he's a special person, he could make you feel more important than anyone else when you were around him and the passion he had was contagious.   

This season is 4Ara, rest in peace my friend. 

My favorite memory of Ara was when we first met at University of Nebraska–Lincoln. We were at our engineering learning community meet and greet. We were playing ultimate frisbee. I thought I had recognized him from somewhere. Then when I saw his cherry creek shorts. I knew I was right. We sat and chatted about how we played prop against each other our senior year of rugby. Then we both went out for UNL rugby. And we just had a bond to when we were in the scrum we had equal leverage and when in open play we knew how to react from one another. He was a great friend and teammate, but most of all just a great guy that always had a smile on his face. He will be dearly missed!

I knew Ara through track and my brother, Kennan. My favorite part of practice was enjoying the company of my teammates and looking to see Ara making everyone laugh and smile. He was a radiant light in everyone’s life. 

My favorite memory of Ara will always be on the bus on our way to an away rugby game he was singing piano man. He was a great singer, a great rugby player, and a amazing friend.  He will be missed.

I vividly remember meeting Ara for the first time at the Rugby ‘get to know you meeting’.  He was the first one through the door and my instinct is to always just hug someone, whether I know them or not.  I went in for the hug and caught myself and said, I’m sorry, I’m Hagan and Pierce’s mom and stuck my hand out to shake.  Ara just got this big sheepish grin on his face (one I’m sure you’ve seen a million times) and bellowed “Bring it in, Mama” and proceeded to pick me up in a giant bear hug and shake me around.  From that very second I loved that kid and he was always unabashedly my favorite.  

Please know that we are all just crushed by the news and we are sending you constant love and prayers.  

Ara, we will never forget your genuine smile and love you gave to all who were around you.   We send our love to the Heimbrock family and prayers for healing during this difficult time.   

Ara was such a beautiful presence in this world. His soul has moved on, but he will always be with you. Please know we are thinking of you during this time.

The Murphy Family

The love and joy Ara brought to my life will never be forgotten. I was his teacher at Hope preschool—he was a 5 year old smiling ball of energy!  Christy worked with us at Hope,so I was blessed to be able to see him grow into a wonderful young man over the years.  My favorite memory: For our “R,r” show and tell week, he told me,”I brought something really special .”  He pointed to the door of the classroom and there was his smiling dad Roy holding  a big bag of Redvines!  Ara sat on his lap as each child asked Roy a question and he handed out Redvines to his friends.  His smile was a pure ray of sunshine,  My heart was happy when I was with Ara.   Dear Christy and Roy, my love and thoughts are with you.

This is my favorite picture of Ara! We're so glad God and Aidan brought us out of the country and back into your lives in 2007. Ara will always hold a special place in our hearts. He was a truly amazing young man! 
Christy and Roy, Adam and Sarah - our hearts are breaking for you. You're in our hearts and prayers.
All our love, 
Your Favorite Werner Girls

We are all so saddened by the news of Ara.  Please know you are all in our thoughts and prayers.  

Ara Heimbrock was the most genuine person that I have ever met. He had such a drive for playing rugby, and singing. He always had a smile on his face, and affected so many people in a positive way. His love and passion for singing was amazing. I will always remember Ara. I will miss him dearly. 

Roy and Christy,

Ara was an incredible young man! Thanks for raising him so amazingly!! His kind soft nature would "Light" up a room.  Seeing his smile in the halls, on the field,  and of course when he was waiting in line to get fed before a football game,  was priceless! His hard work and determination were valued and his teammates loved him.   He will always be part of the Bruin Family.  My heart is breaking for you and your family,  but his heart and soul will be with you forever! His memory will live in us all. 
Hugs and lots of love, 
Tammy Hamill 

Ara Heimbrock has and always will hold a special place in my heart. That man had a beautiful soul. He was such a genuine, compassionate, smart, funny and overall amazing friend. I am going to miss him dearly but I know that no matter what he will always be there for me, as he always has been. Ara, you are so dearly missed, but I hope that you are able to find some peace. 

72 Forever.

Christy and Roy,

I am so deeply sorry for the loss of your son, Ara.  He was such a bright light in this world.  Hearing Christy talking about Ara you can tell how much she loved him and he was her world.  I never heard one negative word come out of Christy’s mouth.  

Christy, you have comforted 
so many people. I hope we can return that love back to you now.  I pray for strength for you and your family.  Love always,  

Sue Fenner

Ara was one of my favorite rugby teammates ever. A guy who would always show up and always had a smile on his face, you could tell how good of a person he was just from the way he interacted with you and how genuine he was. This news was truly devastating and your family is in my prayers. He will always be remembered and loved by Nebraska Rugby.

There are no words that will ever be enough to explain or comfort the loss of a child. Your son was an exceptional young man and we are mourning his loss. Our deepest sympathies are with you and your family.

OBITUARY

Ara Stephan Heimbrock

18 August, 2001 – 16 June, 2020

Olinger Andrews Caldwell Gibson Chapel

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