Richard Dennis Heenan

Captain Richard Dennis (Denny) Heenan (USN, retired) died peacefully surrounded by family on July 18, 2018.

Denny was the son of Walter and Mildred (Davie) Heenan and was born June 11, 1929 in Detroit, Michigan. He spent his first 21 years in Flushing, Michigan and attended Flushing High School, where he played basketball and football, and performed in the band and orchestra as a trumpeter. At age 10, Denny won a regional golf tournament. Denny attended the University of Michigan, where he was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity, he earned his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, and met his future wife, Elaine Madden.

Following college, Denny entered the Navy during the Korean War via Officer Candidate School at Newport, Rhode Island. Specializing in “Surface Warfare,” Denny had many ship and shore assignments during the next 26 years. He had command of an Escort Destroyer, a Guided Missile Frigate, and a Guided Missile Cruiser – all in the Atlantic, Mediterranean, and East Coast areas. His assignments abroad included serving three tours in Vietnam. The Navy awarded him educational scholarships in the Navy Postgraduate School where he received an MS in Management, as well as American University where he was awarded a Ph.D. in Public Administration. While undertaking the latter, he was appointed to a fellowship at the Brookings Institution in the Advanced Study Program for a period of one year.

Denny retired from the Navy in 1977 and began defense consulting work with a specialty in financial planning. In 1984, he began a series of part-time activities in college teaching at George Mason University; administrator of a Small Business Development Center; professional driving; golf pro-shop operations; photography; Chamber of Commerce staff; retail store operations; and musical keyboard entertainment.

Denny’s first wife Elaine died in 1985. He subsequently married Judy Channell in 1990. Since 1986, he has lived in Florida and Virginia. His children have been pursuing successful careers in music, law, technology, education, design, healthcare, and marketing. He has had many varied interests in music, computers, golf, lake life including boating, close friendships with Flushing High School classmates, and traveling.

The surviving family (in addition to wife, Judy) consists of sons Bill (Inthira) and John (Lisa), daughters Emily Heenan, Janice Weeks (Arden), Margaret Smither (Ken), Anne Armstrong (Mike), Kathleen Swayze (Mark), and stepchildren Kacy Channell, and Amy Smith (Andy), as well as twelve grandchildren, and twelve great-grandchildren (with number 13 on the way).

A requiem mass and burial will be celebrated by Denny’s grandson Father Daniel Heenan FSSP on August 4, 11:00 a.m. at St. Leo the Great Catholic Church in Fairfax, Virginia.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a contribution in Denny’s memory to Heroes on the Water (heroesonthewater.org) or the American Cancer Society (cancer.org).