William Henry Heasley, Jr. – Sergeant, United States Army

From a contemporary press report

William Henry Heasley Jr., 86, who was ceremonial organist at the Fort Myer Post Chapel for 36 years, died January 20, 1999 of a ruptured aneurysm at Inova Alexandria Hospital.

Mr. Heasley, who lived in Alexandria, was born in Penn, Pennsylvania, and attended Carnegie Institute of Technology. He studied music and served as organist and choirmaster at churches in Pennsylvania before he was drafted into the Army in 1941.

In 1942, he became the first ceremonial organist at the Post Chapel at Fort Myer. He left active military service in 1953 but continued to serve at Fort Myer in a civilian capacity as organist, choirmaster and administrative assistant to chaplains and as a liaison to Arlington National Cemetery until he retired in 1977.

During his years of service, he participated in more than 18,000 funerals and thousands of weddings.

There are no immediate survivors.

HEASLEY, WILLIAM HENRY, JR.

On January 20, 1999, at Alexandria Hospital, WILLIAM H. HEASLEY, JR of Alexandria, VA. He was predeceased by his parents, William H. Sr. and Myra Domer Heasley and by his brothers and sister, Clarence Bruce, Charles Lester, Glenn Eugene, Elmer Milton, Dorothy Elizabeth Butler Kline and Howard Vincent Heasley. He is survived by several nieces, nephews, great-nieces and -nephews, great-great-nieces and nephews, and a host of friends. Funeral services at Fort Myer Memorial Chapel on Thursday, January 28, 1999 at 2 p.m., followed by inurnment at Arlington National Cemetery Columbarium. No flowers, please.

Michael Robert Patterson

Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.

Reviewed by: Michael Howard