He was born in Manchester, New Hampshire, the son of Arthur J. Heaphy, Sr., and Nancy Heaphy. He spent his youth on Dover Point and plying the waters of the Piscataqua River, the Isles of Shoals, and the Great Bay region with his brother, Edward. Following his father’s lead, Art demonstrated leadership, responsibility, and care for his community, becoming the first of three generations of Eagle Scouts. He graduated from Dover High School, then from the University of New Hampshire with a degree in biology.
Art was commissioned a lieutenant in the United States Air Force in January of 1963 and became a navigator, flying the venerable C-130 Hercules. Selected for an emerging mission, he became one of the first crews to fly the MC-130 Combat Talon I, Special Operations variant. A veteran of the Vietnam War, he earned the Distinguished Flying Cross and numerous Air Medals flying clandestine missions over Southeast Asia and around the globe.
While assigned to the 7th Special Operations Squadron at Ramstein Air Base, West Germany, he married the LOVE of his life, Patricia, of Plantsville, Connecticut. He would pass his knowledge on to the next generation as an instructor before transitioning to the Pentagon as an Air Staff entitlements expert, and later to Hawaii and Korea as a contingency war planner. He would end his 27 years of service right where it began, as Professor of Aerospace Studies, teaching ROTC at the University of New Hampshire, his alma mater.
He relocated from New Hampshire and started his second career in Collierville, Tennessee, as the Executive Director of the Collierville Chamber of Commerce. He then transitioned to the YMCA of Memphis, and finally retired from there as Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer in 2001.
Art loved to fish and beachcomb for shells. He nurtured a lifelong respect for the environment and love of nature by volunteering with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission to preserve the Charlotte Harbor estuary ecosystem. He was a member of San Antonio Catholic Church and the Knights of Columbus. Continuing his lifetime commitment of service to God and his community, Art also spent much of his retirement volunteering with the St. Vincent DePaul Society and the Charlotte County Homeless Coalition.
Art was predeceased by his parents and brother, Edward Bernard Heaphy.
Colonel Heaphy is survived by his wife of 52 years, Patricia; children Arthur J. Heaphy, III, Lt Col, USAF (Retired) and his wife, Angela; Barbara and her husband, Scott Michael; and grandchildren Shannon, John, Matthew, Max, Rachel, Megan, Catherine, Anna, Emma, and Olivia, as well as many nieces, nephews, and friends.
There will be a visitation at 10 am, followed by a funeral mass at San Antonio Catholic Church, 24445 Rampart Blvd, Port Charlotte, on Thursday, April 29, 2021, at 11 am. Inurnment to follow at the Sarasota National Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Missionaries of Charity, 335 East 145th St, Bronx, NY 10451, or to the Moffitt Cancer Center, 12902 USF Magnolia Dr, Tampa, FL 33612.
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