Obituary of Jack E. Healey

HEALEY, Jack E. passed away this past August 28, 2012 at the Ebeid Hospice Center at Flower Hospital in Sylvania, Ohio at the wonderful age of 96.He was surrounded by his children who will miss him terribly. Jack was born near Frankenmuth, Michigan to Edward and Grace (Dunn) Healey March 5, 1916, at the family farm, which he proudly worked on and fondly remembered throughout his life. He graduated from Arthur Hill High School and worked at General Motors in Saginaw until he joined the Army in 1940. Following his training at Ft Eustis, VA, living in a barracks two blocks from where his grandfather was held as a Civil War prisoner by the Confederacy, Jack's first station of duty was in Hawaii where he was fortunate to survive the attack. He obtained the rank of Staff Sergeant (Batt D, 864th Btln), was proud to be a Pearl Harbor survivor and saw considerable military action across the Pacific front during WW II. He was a member of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Club and the VFW. One of his many best recollections of the war was playing the former tennis great, Don Budge, in a warm-up set before the base championship in Honolulu, and meeting up with his soon to be brother-in-law, Bob Beckley (also predeceased 2002), in Saipan. They were best friends, like brothers their entire lives and they both told their children the greatest "war" stories ever - which were never told with too much violence when the children were young. Following the war, Jack married Elizabeth J. (Betty) Beckley (predeceased 1982) on September 15, 1945, in Saginaw, MI where they raised their family. He went back to work following Betty's death at his former floor covering business, McMullen Carpets, where he began after the war and worked until well into his 70's. His family always said "he must have carpeted every home in Saginaw." Jack enjoyed reading, traveling and all outdoor sports. He was a very good athlete and intense baseball fan. As a young man he was a good ball player, but the war and family put an end to the playing. He took up tennis in the service in Hawaii and said he "could always get in 3 sets a day there" (before the bombing). We was a devoted Tiger fan all his life, even in their poor years. He and Betty had a great marriage and friendship, traveling to Ireland and around Europe a couple of times to uncover and enjoy their Irish ancestry, which he cherished. In later years he and his older sister Jane toured throughout the U.S. several times, revisited Hawaii, and he and other relatives and friends made many trips to Alaska to visit his children and always remarked on and enjoyed natures wonders. Jack was a great story teller and would regale his family, friends, and grandchildren with wonderful stories from life on the farm, the war years, and all of the many great experiences he had throughout his life. He will be remembered for his fantastic memory. He was a man with great faith in God and his cup was always full! He and Betty were among the several families that founded St Stephens Catholic Church when the parish began with Sunday Masses held at the Court Street Theater. He was a resident of McBrite Manor in Saginaw prior to moving to Toledo in November, 2008 to be closer to his family. He loved living at McBrite and had fond memories and stories of all the staff and residents. The McBrite administration, Lutheran Homes of Michigan took Jack and another 50 of the Michigan residents on a "Freedom Flight" to the WW II Memorial in 2008, and he was interviewed by NPR while there. He Was also interviewed by the Smithsonian Institute as a Peal Harbor Survivor. Jack was predeceased by his younger sisters: Eleanor (Merrill) and Alice (Domm), both of Saginaw; his oldest sister, Jane (Grohman) who passed away in Defiance, Ohio. Jack leaves his loving children: John (Sharon Cochran) of Toledo, Ohio, Jim (Denise) of Gustavus, AK, and Mary Jane (Ollis) Healey of Juneau, AK; his adoring grandchildren: Lindsay Cusack (Healey) of Portland, OR, Kevin Healey, of Denver, CO., Kendra Healey, of Denver, Jennifer (Payne) of Anchorage, AK; a great-grandson Fitzpatrick Healey Cusack and several nieces and nephews, all of who will miss his great stories and love of life. Jack did want it to be said that "he was a nice guy who married a nice gal, had three nice kids, loved baseball and martinis." The family gives a special thank you to all those wonderful professional care-givers, from McBrite Manor, Oakleaf Village in Toledo, Toledo Hospital, Franciscan Care Center and Jack's ProMedica physicians and those special people at Ebeid Hospice FUNERAL: A funeral Liturgy will take place at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, September 17, 2012 at St. Stephen Catholic Church, 1310 Malzahn. Rev. Fr. John R. Johnson will officiate. Burial has taken place at St. Andrew Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the American Cancer Society or a local Hospice center. Arrangements are entrusted to the Deisler Funeral Home, 2233 Hemmeter Rd. (off State).