Belfast- William “Bill” Heaney, 76, of 6 Pike St., Belfast
died unexpectedly at Jones Memorial Hospital on Saturday, April 18.
To the many people who knew Bill, he was a delight. He was a
multi-talented- teacher, actor, politician, historian etc. He was described by
many as friendly, personable, and charismatic. He was also a gifted and
humorous storyteller. He was so many things that folks who knew him suggested that
he write his autobiography to share his adventures with others.
Born Oct. 27th, 1943 in Dansville, NY, Bill was the son of
the late J. William and Marion Herdman Heaney of Angelica. His mother was a
registered nurse, and his father was doing 4 years of duty with the U.S. Army
in both Europe and the South Pacific during World War II.
Bill entered Angelica Central School in the first kindergarten
the school ever had. He played sports and was active in the chorus and student
council. In junior and senior high school, Bill was an active Boy Scout earning
his Eagle Scout Award when he was just 15. After high school graduation in
1961, Bill enrolled in SUNY at Geneseo.
In college Bill was very active in campus politics and his
fraternity Theta Omega Phi or the Order of Prometheus. Once situated on campus,
Bill ran for president of the student Senate only to lose narrowly. After that,
he was elected President of his fraternity and graduated in 1965 being named to
Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities. He would later be named to two
other “Who’s Who”–one in American Education and one in American Politics.
Even though Bill graduated with a B.S. in Social Studies
Education, he had also acquired an English major too. That was why Belfast
Central School hired him to teach English in Grades 10-12. During his years in
Belfast, he was advisor to many class organizations. Out of school, he began
acting and directing in community theatre, dinner theatre and NYS historical
drama. In 27 years, he directed or acted in nearly 30 plays in western NY and
northwestern PA.
It is noteworthy that in the late ‘60’s, Bill became a
“hippie” and attended the Woodstock Music Fair in Bethel, NY, one of his truly
unforgettable experiences.
Bill had always been interested in politics. At the
encouragement of his friend, John Hasper, he became a Republican and ran for
the Town Board in Belfast. He won, and three years later he became the
Republican Election Commissioner. Two years after that he became the Allegany
County Republican Chairman. He would serve in that post for 19 years.
As chairman, Bill became a delegate to two national
Republican Conventions –in 1992 in Houston for George Bush and in 1996 in San
Diego for Bob Dole. During these years, Bill also worked for Rep. Amo Houghton
as Congressional Regional Director and political consultant. Finally, in 2001
Bill was asked by Gov. George Pataki to become a regional representative in the
western Southern Tier of New York state. He did and worked at this until 2007. Then he
worked part time for Assemblyman Joe Giglio and then full time for Senator
Cathy Young retiring in 2017.
Somewhere along the line Bill became involved in boxing. In
1989 he received a phone call from Brian Sullivan, a Buffalo boxing promoter
who asked if the Belfast Lions Club would like to sponsor a boxing tournament
to commemorate the 100 years since William Muldoon brought John L. Sullivan to
Belfast to train for his championship fight. Bill said yes, and thus began his ten-year
boxing promotion around New York state.
In retirement, Bill immersed himself in Allegany County
local history directing the local historian’s production of “History Week” the
last week of September in Wellsville and Cuba.
Bill is survived by his wife Eva, three sons: Aran (Teresa),
Brendan (Molly) and Jered (Jasmine); two brothers John (Mary) and Mark (Kay)
seven grandchildren (Aidan, Quinn, Brody, Owen, Jenna, Finn and Mara,) and
several nieces and nephews.
A private visitation will be held at the Treusdell Funeral Home in Belfast. Interment will be in Holy Cross Cemetery. A memorial service
will be scheduled at the convenience of the family at a later date. In lieu of
flowers, contributions may be made to the Belfast Lion’s Club.
