William Heacock
1947-08-14 1988-08-13A memorial service for William "Bill' R. Heacock, a nationally known author and historian of antique glass, will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Dallas.
Heacock, who was 41, died Sunday in Pittsburgh after a 13-month battle with AIDS. The body was cremated.
Heacock graduated from L.D. Bell High School in Hurst in 1966.
He worked for two years for Western Union Co. in Dallas after high school. In 1971, he moved to Jonesville, Mich., where he became a glass collector and dealer.
Heacock, a Dallas native, published 27 books about glass. He also wrote columns for several antique glass publications. He became a contributing editor for Rainbow Review Glass Journal in 1975.
In 1978, Heacock helped found the Historical Glass Museum at Redlands, Calif. In 1982, he became editor and publisher of The Glass Collector, an Ohio-based quarterly research publication about glass.
Heacock moved to Pittsburgh in 1986 and became senior adviser for Glass Collectors Digest a year later.
He was a member of the National Association of Dealers in Antiques.
Heacock's longtime companion was Nick Daemous, a technical instructor for nuclear power plants who cared for Heacock full time in the last year of his illness.
Heacock is survived by his mother, Patti Tobin-Brittain of Carrollton; two sisters, Cathy Heacock O'Donnell of Irving and Lisa Tobin of Dallas; and his stepfather, David Tobin of Dallas.
Dallas Morning News, The (TX) - August 18, 1988
Bill Heacock was my friend. He was funny and sweet and smart--such a good writer, such a quick imagination. We were in journalism and drama classes together and hung out together after school. We went to the prom together--it's a dinner dance, you know, and both of us were aces at eating and dancing. He was kind, and his feelings were tender. When he died, I was so angry with him, but that's over now. Still wish he was with us, though. Bill and so many more.
tribute by Lynda HunterMy memories of Bill are of a sweet and loving person who was looking for himself. He went to church with me several times and wanted to be closer in his relationships. He was lonely at school, and he treasured his friends in Drama and the after school events. I regret not giving him more attention that busy senior year.He was more interesting than most people knew and it is our loss. He was a sweet and kind person to me.
tribute by Jamie Neal