Riverside, Ca. - Our beloved daughter Heather Anne Rudrich, age 34, passed away on April 27th, 2026, from sudden cardiac arrest contributed by worsening health problems.

She was born July 30th, 1991, in Riverside CA to the parents of Aleta and Horst Rudrich, the oldest of three children. Heather had speech and developmental delay and at age 4 was diagnosed with autism. At age 18 she developed epilepsy which was a further challenge in her life.

She participated in the special education classes and programs in Redlands, including a supportive community involving sports and other activities. She even learned to ski and bike ride, however epilepsy modified this. She loved animated shows and movies. She was particularly fond of babies and animals and took great pride in her service dog Vonnie. And she loved being with family and liked to travel, but there were some challenges.

She graduated from the Redlands Special Ed program in 2013 at age 22. The last six years of her life she lived at the Linares Home in Jurupa Valley ran by Bright Expectations. We thank and appreciate all the staff at Bright Expectations for their loving care and support.

She is survived by her parents Horst and Aleta Rudrich of Redlands, brothers Steven and Tim Rudrich; her grandmothers Hedwig Rudrich and Audrey Elliott; aunts and uncles Helga (Craig) Reese, Jakob (Laura Morris) Rudrich, Craig (Margaret) Elliott, Carla Parker, Neil Elliott; cousins - Anneliese, Lilianne, Ben, Dacee, Jake, Ryan, Emily and Elliott.

She is preceded in death by her grandfathers Rudy Rudrich and Doug Elliott and uncle Johnny Parker.

She will be dearly missed and even though she had limited intellectual abilities she taught all of us many important lessons and brought to the forefront how valuable our "Special Needs" members are.

Her Celebration of Life was May 5th, and she will be interned at Montecito Memorial Park.