Obituary of Harold Headlee

Harold Edward Headlee, age 82, passed away in the morning hours of 1 January 2013 at his home in Marion, Virginia. He was born 5 January 1930 in Garards Fort, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Mapletown High School in 1947, where he lettered in four sports. He graduated from the United States Military Academy, West Point, New York with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1951 and joined the Air Force. He flew as a bombardier on A-26s in Korea. After the war, he met and married Maxine "Jerilynn" Williams on 2 October 1954. He received a Masters degree in Meteorology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and flew as a navigator throughout the rest of his Air Force career, including an assignment as a Hurricane Hunter flying out of Bermuda. He served in Vietnam and worked with the first satellite meteorological data. His last assignment was as Chief Weather Officer in support of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon. After retiring from the Air Force, he worked for the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) with weather satellites. After he retired from NOAA, he and his wife moved to her hometown of Marion, where he was actively involved in the VFW Post 4667, Kiwanis Club, and a breakfast group that met at McDonalds. He was a member of Mount Carmel United Methodist Church. He was preceded in death by his wife of 42 years and his parents, Earle and Grace Headlee of Waynesburg, Pennsylvania. He is survived by his sister-in-law, Wilma Williams, his sons, Chris (Kim) and Kevin (Helene), and his daughter, Kelly; six grandchildren: Matthew (Kira), Jonathan, Nathan, Jessica, Christopher McCarthy and Nichole McCarthy-Moore (Matthew); and one great granddaughter, Asha; and several nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews. A memorial service will be held Thursday, 10 January 2013 at the Francis Marion VFW Post #4667 at 6:00 p.m., followed by a reception for family and friends. Private burials will be held at Anderson Hill Cemetery, Troutdale, Virginia and at the United States Military Academy, West Point, New York. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to Ms. Diane Warren P.O. Box 63, Troutdale, Virginia 24378, for the Anderson Hill Cemetery fund. Expressions of sympathy may be made to the family at www.seaverbrown.com. Seaver-Brown Funeral Service and Crematory is serving the Headlee Family.