It’s a cruel irony that Dirk Hart had to die during the 2014 World Cup, because soccer was his passion.
He starred on the New Canaan High School soccer team (Class of ’89), the only sophomore to make varsity, coached his daughters and their teams, and even turned his wife, Megan, into a fan.
“We met in college,” she says, “and our first date was watching a World Cup game.”
On June 19th, Mr. Hart collapsed at their home in Rowlett, Texas, and died of a heart attack. He was 43, leaving behind his wife and daughters: Kiley, 14, Brooke, 13 and Sophie, 10. With no prior medical issues, his passing is sadder still as he and his family were just starting to exhale after Brooke’s years-long struggle with a rare form of bone cancer.
Once a high-powered executive at Time-Warner, Mr. Hart decided that spending as much time as possible with his family was his first priority, even before Brooke’s diagnosis. “He passed up many opportunities for advancement at Time-Warner,” Megan said, “because he didn’t want to be away from home for long periods of time.”
Mr. Hart left the corporate world about five years ago, starting an ATM management business that grew to 34 locations, but allowed him to work from home. His decision proved prescient when Brooke became ill. Mr. Hart spent the last three years of his life caring for his daughter.
“He would wake up, get breakfast for the other girls, get them off to school and then do whatever was necessary for Brooke,” said his brother-in-law Steve Fuller, also a 1989 NCHS graduate. “He and Megan would tag-team, so one of them was always there.”
It was a 24/7 job. There were 10 months of chemotherapy and 26 rounds of radiation treatments. Then, during surgery to remove the tumor, Brooke suffered complications that left her paralyzed from the waist down.
“The tumor was so big that it pushed her heart to the side,” her mother said. “We were told she would never walk again. And for 18 months there was no progress. But a year ago she was able to walk on crutches, and now she can walk using one crutch. It’s miraculous. We’re all very grateful.”
While the ATM business was successful and allowed Mr. Hart the time he needed to care for Brooke, the financial ramifications took a toll. Health insurance options available to small businesses normally can’t compare with large group catastrophic coverage benefits. Even after working diligently with the various providers, the Mr. Hart’s uncovered medical bills approached $1,000,000.
Mr. Hart fought the debts aggressively. He took another full-time job to supplement the annuity income from his ATM business. The family had to use its life savings as well. But things were progressing. “The last thing Dirk said to me was that he could finally start seeing the light at the end of the tunnel,” says Megan. He then walked into the bathroom, collapsed and died.
“Dirk had a cash-value life insurance policy that he had to fully tap to pay Brooke’s medical bills,” says Fuller. “But that left them with no life insurance for him.”
Megan’s father and other family members are now scrambling to get the ATM business back up and running, splitting territories. They have also set up a fund-raising effort (see below).
Though he never returned to live in New Canaan after leaving for college, Megan said Dirk always talked about his years in the town and its surroundings.
“Dirk loved New Canaan,” she says. “He told me he was always competing in sports or on the ponds, fishing or playing hockey. He would tell us about his adventures with Steve. And he loved Stew Leonard’s. He said it was the best store on the planet. He took me there once and I thought it was an amusement park! He told the girls that one day we’d get them to Stew’s.”
Fuller, who now lives in Utah, is heartbroken over the loss. “He was a great athlete and a great friend. We loved growing up in New Canaan. I still can’t believe how much fun we had there.”
More than 500 people were at Mr. Hart’s funeral service, and Megan is determined to carry on despite the crushing loss.
“Brooke just had a two-year scan, and it was clear,” she says. “And her prognosis is really good. Me and Dirk will be together again some day. I know he’s watching over us. We were in a good place as a family when he died, and I’m grateful for that.
“I lost my very best friend. Dirk was generous to everyone he met. Even when we were in need, he was generous. I never once heard him swear. The kids had the rare treat of having him home a lot. He wanted to be a dad and to be awesome at it, and he accomplished that. He was awesome.”
Dirk Hart, a New Canaan native, with his daughter Brooke. Mr. Hart died last month.
How to help
Dirk’s friends have started a fund to help the Hart family pay medical and housing expenses. If you would like to make a donation, you can do so at fundly.com/dirk-hart-memorial-fund
There are 3 ways to make a donation.
Credit card: Click the “Donate” button on the page.
Check: Send payable to ‘Dirk Hart Memorial Fund’ to Megan’s father: Dale Quenzer, 1000 East 18th Street, Suite 100, Plano Texas 75074
Wire Transfer: Legacy Texas Bank, e-mail Dale@DaleQuenzerCPA.co