John Matthew Heavey

John is survived by his devoted wife, Mary Ann, his two daughters; Vivian Swingle and her husband Joseph of Springfield, VA; Ann Marie Langan and her husband Patrick of Norwood, MA; his five grandsons (Patrick, Michael, Andrew, & Joseph Swingle and John Langan.)

John was a graduate of both Cardinal Hayes High School for Boys and Manhattan College (Chemical Engineering). After college he moved to Indian Head, MD where he worked on the Polaris missile. From there he moved to Virginia where he worked in engineering offices at Fort Belvoir for the DOD. He spent many years working with water purification design, military air conditioning, production engineering, Patriot air defense system, and Military Generator Sets.

John was a loving husband who cherished time with his wife and was most content in her company. He was a devoted father and uncle who always put family first. John enjoyed spending time with his family at "The Shore" and creating magical memories there.

He was proud of being the patriarch of his extended family and he loved his titles of PapaJohn and Papa. His grandsons were the joy of his life. Carpooling them was a favorite job. John was an Irishman to the core. A first generation Irish American (County Cavan), he was proud of his dual citizenship. He enjoyed time spent cogitating on his porch, watching the birds, and sharing the company of many dogs over the years. He liked strong black coffee, chocolate chip cookies, homemade meals made by Mary Ann, chocolate ice cream, and his cuppa. An avid reader of history and biographies he also took pleasure watching British television and Caps hockey. He was a skilled handyman and talented woodworker who built furniture and made repairs to the home. He cherished time chatting with neighbors, friends, and family, especially at big family gatherings and celebrations. John was a wonderful storyteller and could bring a smile to anyone he met.

Viewing will be held on Monday, May 15th from 5pm to 7pm at Demaine Funeral Home (Main Street, Fairfax). Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at Nativity Catholic Church, Burke, VA on Tuesday, May 16th at 10am. Interment will immediately follow at St. Mary's Historic Church Cemetery. Memorial donations in memory of John may be made to So Others Might Eat (SOME), 71 O Street NW, Washington, DC 20001.