In Memory: Chuck Heastings, 62, Could Light Up The Room With His Stories

Editor’s note: the following obituary was submitted by Sandy Springs Chapel.

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Charles Francis Heastings, Jr. (Feb. 11, 1953 – Feb. 6, 2016); born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

A life brilliantly lived, Chuck Heastings passed away on Saturday, Feb. 6, 2016, in the same way he lived. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Chuck had the Italian traits from his mother for a lust for life, love of family, and all things food, and the Irish traits from his father of strength, enjoyment of a good drink, and the stubbornness that kept him fighting his battle with cancer until the end.

Chuck could light up a room with his stories, prefaced with “you’ll laugh,” and then his hands would go into action. He was a car guy and at 16, bought his first car for fifteen dollars and was proud to say he drove that heap for six months before it finally fell apart.

From then on, he had a love affair with cars, and had great respect for the craftsmen who could turn metal into art, an engine sound into pure joy and an automobile into a rocket ride on the road.

His mom gave Chuck her favorite recipes and there was no turning back for his love of cooking and all the pots, pans and gadgets that go with it. On a Saturday morning, Chuck would start the garlic going, simmer the sauce, and make the meatballs. With the music of Andrea Bocelli cranked up in the house, he would laugh about there was nothing better than working with olive oil in the morning and engine oil in the afternoon.

What started with an Adirondack chair on the deck that was beginning to fall apart, led him to wood working tools, tearing the chair apart, creating a template, and building chairs for his extended family as gifts to them. His chairs were perfect to sit back in on a late afternoon and let the day go quiet. The garage door was always open on the weekend with the neighbors’ kids dropping by to see what Mr. Chuck was building. The driveway would soon be set up with saw horses and Chuck showing them how to build a wooden race car for them to take home.

His love of digging in the dirt took him down a path to turn his yard, once full of pine trees and hard clay, into a garden with lush green grass, and flowering trees, shrubs and plants with scents that would carry across the lawn on a summer night. He hauled in sculptures, stone benches and built a waterfall that he worked on for hours to make sure the splash on the rocks hit just the right way to be heard from the deck. To Chuck it was always about enjoying the work and the experience you leave behind for people.

An interest in photography while in college took him on his journey to go to races across the country and capture his love of cars in motion. Formula One, Indy, 24 Hours of Daytona and Nascar. No landscape and not many people in his pictures, just the cars. His love of music included everything from rock, jazz, blues, country, and of course the Italian tenors. His house always had music playing.

Boating became the getaway for a long weekend on the Tennessee River in Chattanooga or for two weeks, locking through dams and heading upriver to Knoxville or down river into Alabama. Chuck earned his captain’s license and as all boaters know, running aground is a given at some point. That’s all that needs to be said. After graduating from Catholic Central High School in Pittsburg, Chuck joined the Air Force and lived in England before returning to Las Vegas, where he made his home.

He had a love for the desert and could be found on Saturday morning with his friends riding the canyons on his motorcycle or crossing the desert on his dirt bike. Chuck joined Delta and transferred to Atlanta where he was a computer programmer. After ten years with Delta, Chuck retired and started his own landscape contracting company and plant nursery, called ‘The Good Life.” And yes it was.

In 2010, Chuck joined his wife, Mary Lou, and helped take their company, Executive Alliance, took the next level. You could always spot Chuck while at the company’s conferences, talking to someone about his photography equipment, food or cars. The staff loved him. Throughout all his passions and interests, his family and friends loved his laughter, going on trips with him, and listening to yet, another story. Chuck was Mary Lou’s Christopher Columbus in life. Pointing over the horizon and telling everyone to get ready for a new adventure.

Chuck is survived by his parents, Charles Francis Heastings, Sr. and Clementine Heastings (Del Grosso), his wife of thirty years, Mary Lou, his daughters, Jennifer and Erin, his stepson and his wife, Steve and Miyuki Dalton and grandbaby, Azumi, brother and his wife, Bob and Chris Heastings, sister and her husband, Linda and Greg Schuering, brothers Steve and Chris, and sister Stacey, and his longtime friend, Mike Zabetakis.

A receiving of friends will be on Friday, Feb. 12, 2016, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Sandy Springs Chapel, 136 Mount Vernon Hwy, Sandy Springs, Georgia.

A celebration of Chuck’s amazing life will be on Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016 at 5 p.m. at the Sandy Springs Chapel.

Online condolences may be made at www.sandyspringschapel.com. In lieu of flowers, Chuck, a proud veteran, was passionate about the Wounded Warriors Project (http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/). 

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