Passed away peacefully on July 12, 2022 at age 63. Predeceased by his nephew, Stephen Needler; grandparents; several aunts and uncles. BJ is survived by his parents, Bill and Kathie Eckert; siblings, Jim (Mary Lou) Eckert, Selina (Chris) Given, Tina (Ken) Zodarecky, Dennis (Karen) Eckert, John Richard (Ruthie) Eckert, Sue (John) Eckert, Danette (Haidar) Vail, Tim (Jeanie) Eckert, Bob Ammerschuber, Alan Simpson; favorite aunt: Glor McAndrew and many other relatives.

At the request of the family, wear bright colors in honor of BJ. Celebration of life will be held during visitation on Monday, July 18, 3-7 PM at Bartolomeo & Perotto, 1411 Vintage Lane. His Funeral Mass will be celebrated Tuesday 9:30 AM at St. Charles Borromeo Church, 3003 Dewey Avenue. Interment at White Haven Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, please direct memorials to the Sisters of St. Joseph of Rochester at 150 French Road Rochester, NY 14618 or the School of the Holy Childhood, 100 Groton Pkwy Rochester, NY 14623 or a charity of choice in his memory.





BJ's Life Story

B.J. was born May 8th 1959 in Groton, CT and was immediately loved and embraced by his Mom and Dad. They knew B.J. was going to be a challenge and though they knew not what the future held, they accepted God's gift, trusting He knew what He was doing; determined to carry out God's plan. B.J. grew and after moving across the country a couple times, settled in Rochester NY. There at the age of 8, B.J. started attending school at The School of the Holy Childhood. He graduated at nineteen and moved directly into the Adult Workshop where he worked for another 39 years before retiring in December 2017. B.J. was trusted to follow directions and maintain his focus to complete his tasks accurately. Before retiring in 2017, B.J. worked a couple years at Panera Bread in Greece. He bussed tables and was loved and spoiled by his coworkers.

B.J. loved family and it was always evident in everything he did. From his 11th birthday on, he shared his birthday with his sister Suzie. This was always a big event for him and he loved sharing it with her. When he learned to dial phone numbers, he was not shy about calling a sibling and asking them to take him out. Sometimes for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Other times it might be to take him to karaoke, or fishing. Sometimes, he just wanted to visit.

B.J. enjoyed life to the fullest and was always looking forward to the next event or celebration. His calendar was filled with the events of his life; Church - where he served as an altar server for several years, weddings - he loved to dance, family picnics, camping, vacations, Boy Scouts, Special Olympics, golfing, skiing (cross country and downhill), movies or any other outing that may be coming up. He loved the holidays, especially Easter, 4th of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's. He believed in miracles and had blind faith that what he wanted would happen. He hardly ever asked for big items - mostly it was a hug, or a new watch, or to help Santa at the family Christmas Party. He helped Santa every year and did such a great job that Santa made him an honorary Santa. He adored his nephews and nieces, and had a genuine love and empathy for children. He cared for them and loved to gently hold babies.

B.J. only knows family as he considered everyone he met as an extension of his family. He will be missed greatly but will continue to bring joy to his family through the memories we share and stories we tell. Memories of going fishing and having the boat sink, or calling 911, cruises to exotic places, sharing his love of music to whatever audience he could find, going to Toronto and hugging the Pink Power Ranger, being a flagbearer, driving a car, adding a '1'to his bowling score because he knew 3 digits was better than 2, desserts, knowing that he can have 4 sandwiches by cutting 2 in half and so many more. Please keep sharing B.J. moments with each other and remember his joy and child-like innocence and embrace your inner child to live as he lived.