Travis Heitmann

I first met Ben Haskvitz when I moved to Gillette in 2009.  When Trampus passed in 2011, Ben was nothing more than an acquaintance and I didn’t even know him well enough to offer any meaningful condolences.  Move ahead to 2013 I found myself going through a divorce and needed a place to live.  I asked Ben if my 5 year old daughter Greta (tallest female on the right/ 14 yrs old) and I could move in with him temporarily until I could get some things figured out.  Without any hesitation he said “Yup, when are you moving in?”  To this day I can’t find the words that will express the appreciation and gratitude towards what he offered me that day.

The Tournament of 2013 was my first experience with the Trampus Haskvitz Golf Tournament. I was overwhelmed by the emotions I witnessed on that day with all of the friends and families coming together to honor Trampus’s legacy.  It was also on that weekend that I was welcomed into the extended Haskvitz family.

Since then I have been able to attend more tournaments and after a heartfelt discussion with Don and LuJean last year, felt it was time to take on more responsibility and do my part to promote the legacy of Trampus.

My wife Michelle and I got married in 2017 and Ben was my best man.  He is also the Godfather to my second daughter Harper (the one glued to my hip/ 8 yrs. old), my other two daughters are Camy (5 yrs. old) and Leightyn (2 yrs. old).  They have come to know Ben as “Uncle Awesome”, a term Greta coined when we moved in with him in 2013.

I look forward to working with the rest of the Directors in organizing the Trampus Haskvitz Memorial Foundation to continue to grow the legacy of Trampus and to provide support for the firefighters, first responders, families of firefighters/first responders and the community that was there to support the Haskvitz family in their time of need.