Richard Cox "Dick" Heatly

Richard Cox “Dick” Heatly Spartanburg, SC- Richard Cox Heatly, 83, died April 4, 2013, after an extended battle with Alzheimer’s disease, at the Windsor House. Born on April 18, 1929, in Mangum, Oklahoma, Dick was the son of the late Bula Cox and Ralph Orville Heatly and of the late Jake Hudson. Dick graduated from Mangum High School in 1947 where he was a four-sport letterman and a member of the 1947 All-State Football Team and the Oklahoma Oil Bowl Team. He attended Kemper Military School in Boonville, Missouri before attending the University of Oklahoma, where he was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. While at OU, he lettered on the football team, coached by the legendary Bud Wilkinson, from 1949-1951. He was a halfback and punter, named to the Honorable Mention AP All-America Team and a member of the 1950 National Championship team that won 31 games in a row before losing to Bear Bryant’s Kentucky team in the 1951 Sugar Bowl. Following graduation from OU in 1952, he served in the United States Air Force as a fighter pilot in the Korean War, stationed at Misawa Air Base in Japan. While in Japan, he was a player and coach for the Misawa football team and was named the 1955 Air Force Far East Command Player of the Year. Following his military service, Dick played professionally in the Canadian Football League for the Edmonton Eskimos during the 1956 season. Later that year, he joined the coaching staff at the University of Oklahoma under Bud Wilkinson before moving to Seattle, Washington, where he served as an assistant coach for the University of Washington Huskies from 1957-1964. While coaching at Washington, the Huskies appeared in the Rose Bowl three times and were named 1960 National Champions. In 1964, he returned to the University of Oklahoma as an assistant football coach until he retired from coaching in 1966. A career in airplane sales followed, bringing Dick and his family to Spartanburg in 1968. He founded Maintaineers Ltd. in 1974, for which he served as president until his retirement. He is survived by his four children, Richard Cox Heatly II (Lisa) of Inman, Lisa Heatly Masterson (Frank) of Lake Quivira, KS, Sara Heatly Hamilton of Boiling Springs, and David Hudson Heatly (Carmen Yahres) of Inman. He is also survived by his grandchildren: Catherine “Clay” Heatly Gilbert (Brandt) of Greenville, Angela Bowie Thompson (Randy) of Boiling Springs, Richard Hudson Heatly (Lynn) of McDonough, GA, Frank Frick Masterson III (Pier) of Eudora, KS, Margaret “Maggie” Masterson Streb (Robert) of New Smyrna Beach, FL, Mary Chappell Heatly of Greenville, Catherine Blair Heatly (Neil Robinette), David Hudson Heatly, Jr., and Lawrence Hamilton Heatly, all of Spartanburg, John Wesley Arnold III (Jackie) of Raleigh, NC, and Zachary Charles Arnold (Emily) of Frisco, TX; nine great-grandchildren; a sister-in-law, Rosie Heatly, and a brother-in-law, John Buck, both of Mangum, OK; a cousin, Steve Snider, of Dallas, TX; and his personal assistant of more than 20 years, Pat Semeraro, of Spartanburg. He was predeceased by his wife of 52 years, Joye Delores Clabaugh Heatly, and a brother, Col. Ralph Orville Heatly, Jr. The family will receive friends on Monday, April 8 at 3:00 p.m. at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church A celebration of his life will follow at 4:00 p.m., conducted by the Rev. Frank Lybrand. Burial will immediately follow in Greenlawn Memorial Gardens. The family will be at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Richard C. Heatly II, 426 Sunward Path, Inman, SC 29349. The family would like to thank Coach Heatly’s caregivers at Windsor House. In remembrance of Dick, memorials may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, 901 South Pine St., Spartanburg, SC 29302.