HEENAN, Donald Fred (R.B.)

Donald (R.B.) Fred Heenan, 78, of Marietta, GA, passed away peacefully on Aug. 24, 2019, after a brief hospital stay. He was born in Washington, DC, on April 4, 1941, and spent his younger years in the small, friendly Green Acres suburb,

Bethesda, MD area.

With a Navy ROTC scholarship,

Don graduated in 1963 from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, with a BS in mathematics. His senior year, he was honored to receive the Joseph Daniels Scholarship Award presented to the graduating senior with the highest grade average in Naval Science courses. He was president of the Alpha-Alpha Chapter of Chi Phi Fraternity, as well as a member of the Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society.

Upon Graduation, Don was commissioned into the Navy. He served two years as Supply Officer on the USS Massey (DD778), and then two years as Navy Exchange Officer at NAS (Navy Air Station) Atlanta. He left the Navy in 1967.

In early 1968, Don entered into a sales and marketing career in Atlanta with Noxell Corp, later purchased by Procter and Gamble. In 1995, P&G restructured nationwide and asked Don to relocate to Birmingham, AL or retire with appealing benefits – it was an easy decision!

Although a quiet person by nature, Donald had another mischievous side to him. He had an incredibly funny dry sense of humor; and if you weren’t paying attention, you could certainly miss many punchlines.

Don met Rachel Victoria Maddox, a Delta flight attendant, in Marietta around 1975 at The Meadows where they both owned condos. One of Don’s buddies from the “never met a party we didn’t like,” group from the Peachtree Towne Apartments, said…”the real dose of reality hit when R.B. got married. What girl in her right mind would marry R.B.? The answer came when she told me she was from South Carolina as girls will go to any lengths just to get out of that state.” They married June 18, 1977.

Many of Don’s friends had nicknames, and because of his red hair, he was dubbed the “Red Baron,” which the group shortened to R.B., -- and it stuck. For many years, several of Don’s Atlanta and Marietta friends had no idea R.B. was merely a nickname, and were surprised when they learned his actual name was Donald.

Don and Rachel enjoyed playing tennis together, walking their dog, cook outs with neighbors, and traveling with their many friends. They enjoyed traveling to other countries, as well as short jaunts in their own back yard, like summer trips to Crescent Beach, Florida, or fall get-togethers in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Georgia.

Friends were important to Don. If you were a friend of Donald Heenan, you were a friend for life. He was great about keeping in touch with so many different groups of people, and not just current friends, but those from many years ago, as well. At a young age at Westbrook Elementary School in the suburbs of Green Acres, Bethesda, MD, Don began making lifelong friends through his participation in the Cub Scouts and the Boy Scouts of America. The Heenan’s were members of the Foundry Methodist Church where, as a young boy, Don was an acolyte. It was an idyllic time in his life. Later, he and Dona were confirmed at Foundry; Sunday evenings were spent at the church with the Methodist Youth Fellowship group. During middle school, Don’s academic achievements became apparent with his membership in the National Junior Honor Society.

After graduating from Bethesda Chevy Chase High School in 1959, he continued to acquire and maintain many of those friendships, as well. The BCCHS reunions every 5 years were a source of pleasure and enjoyment which he always looked forward to.

Another very important milestone: the annual USS Massey Navy reunions which were a source of pride and emotional connection for Don. And where, in a very funny turn of events (a story for another time), Don was unanimously elected as Lifetime Treasurer for the USS Massey group, where he proudly (and always with a sense of humor) served until his death. And where he and Rachel rarely missed a reunion. According to sister, Dona, Don claimed to have gotten the last laugh regarding his Lifetime Treasurer position, as he felt he had gotten off easy with having to write a few checks, pay bills, and collect money every now and then; while never having to serve as President, Reunion Host, Secretary, or Newsletter Correspondent, all positions which encompassed an ongoing amount of work!

Don was an avid sports fan and an Atlanta Falcon’s season ticket holder for over 20 years. And when it came to sports, you would be hard pressed to find anyone with a better sense of recall regarding dates, teams, players, or statistics.

Don was preceded in death by his parents Fred Henry Heenan and Anne Janetta Bristo Heenan, of Green Acres, Bethesda, MD; and his dear wife, Rachel Victoria Maddox Heenan, of Marietta, GA (originally from McCormick, SC). Donald is survived by his sister, Dona Jean Heenan Peterson, husband Carl August Peterson, and son Eric Charles Peterson of Miami, Florida.

A memorial service will be held at 10 AM, Oct. 11, at H.M. Patterson & Son – Canton Hill Chapel, 1157 Old Canton Road, Marietta, GA 30068, (770-977-9485). Following the service, a reception will be held at the funeral home.

The committal service will be held at the Georgia National Cemetery at 1080 Scott Hudgens Boulevard, Canton, GA 30114.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Don’s memory to Cure PSP (Progressive Supranuclear Palsy) ( w w w . p s p . o r g ), The American Cancer Society (www.cancer.org), The American Heart Association (www.heart.org), or to a charity of your choice. To leave an online condolence to the family, please visit www.hmpattersoncantonhill.com