Heidi Behr to Be Honored Around Riverhead Town

Exactly eight years after a horrific ambulance crash on Main Road in Aquebogue took the lives of emergency responder Heidi Behr, 23, and William Anthony Stone in May, 2005, the EMTs will be honored in Riverhead Town.

At Thursday's town board work session, Councilman John Dunleavy said had spoken with Heidi's father John Behr, and he was  in agreement that the roadway by the Peconic Riverfront, behind the stores on Main Street from Peconic Avenue to McDermott Avenue, would be named "Heidi Behr Way."

Dunleavy also said the plan is to put Behr's name on the Riverhead Volunteer Ambulance Corps barn; once the new ambulance headquarters is built, Heidi's name will be displayed there, too, he said.

A new ambulance, Dunleavy added, will be dedicated both to Heidi and to her fellow first responder William Anthony Stone, who also died in the tragic accident.

A memorial park on Sound Avenue to honor those lost on 9/11 will also honor Behr, Bob Kelly, brother of Reeves Park resident Thomas Kelly, 38, a New York City firefighter and one of seven members of Engine 219, Ladder 105 who died on September 11 after the terrorist attacks, said.

The 4.1 acre parcel, located at the corner of Sound Avenue and Thomas Kelly Memorial Drive/Park Road, was recently acquired by the county.

Kelly has expressed interest in dedicating a piece of the parcel to local first responders who have been killed in the line of duty -- including Behr, who lost her life in a tragic ambulance accident."The Behr family is on the top of my wish list -- they deserve this, at least, and a whole lot more," he said.

Behr's heartbroken parents June and John Behr are raising her son, Jared, who is now 9 years old, in their Cutchogue home.

When Heidi died, she left behind her little baby, who was only 15 months old, and severely disabled, with cerebral palsy and epilepsy, and who is also legally blind.

The years since their daughter's death have been marked by tragedy -- June Behr also lost both parents and her sister -- but it is Jared who has given the Behr family, including Heidi's sister, Dana, the strength to go on.

"He's a blessing," said June. "He is the glue that keeps us together."

Heidi and her partner were treating a heart attack victim at the time of the accident and were not wearing seat belts; the driver and patient, who were belted securely, survived. 

"It's a wonderful feeling to have her remembered," June Behr said earlier this year, of the memorial park, adding that the park should also have a place where Heidi's partner, Bill Stone, can be remembered.

"They were together," she said.