Larry A. Heasley

Larry A. Heasley, 89, passed away of pneumonia while recovering from a broken hip on April 7, 2018 in Olympia, Washington. He was born May 22, 1928, to Violet LeBleu Heasley and Harry Heasley in Portland, Oregon. Larry was a fulltime resident of Ilwaco, Washington for 36 years, and part-time resident 16 years before that. He also lived in Beaverton and Portland, Oregon.

Larry graduated from Portland's Benson Polytechnic High School in 1946 with a major in electronics. Benson was an all-boys vocational high school at that time. Because of Larry's color-blindness, and thus being ineligible to enlist in the Army, he enlisted in the Oregon State Guard on December 20, 1944, and served until he was honorably discharged at the end of the war on March 1, 1949. During his service, he earned a medal from the Rifle Team at the age of 17. When he was 20 years old, he married Marjorie L. Phillips on July 16, 1948 in Portland. In just a few short years, they bought their first home in Beaverton, Oregon, where they raised their three children.

Larry worked over 20 years at Westinghouse, first as a repairman then as a sales representative for two districts, Northwest Oregon Coast and the Columbia Gorge. Before he retired from Westinghouse, he began his dream career as a charter fisherman in 1966. He loved to hear the words, "Fish on!" He will be remembered for always questioning, "You're not playing that fish are you?" and "Are you watching your pole?" Regardless of what he was doing though, even fishing, it was always imperative that he be home by 5:00 p.m. for Happy Hour. Besides his favorite hobby of fishing, fishing, and fishing, he also enjoyed crabbing, clamming, hunting, and still more fishing. Larry fished the Trask River, Dairy Creek, and Gray's River for steelhead, Craine Prairie for trout, and in the Columbia River and Pacific Ocean for salmon, sturgeon, tuna and bottom fish. He fished up until the time he had to sell his last boat in 2013 due to Parkinson's Disease. He had owned 13 boats, ranging from 16' to 56' with his pride and joy being the 56' boat that he designed and had built at Westport Shipyard in 1973-1974.

Larry is survived by his wife, Marge Heasley, who recently moved from Ilwaco to Olympia; sons, Dan Heasley of Ilwaco, and Darryl Heasley of Bothell, Washington; daughter, Shirley Rheault of Olympia; seven grandchildren; 15 great grandchildren; six great-great grandchildren. He was predeceased by his mother, Vi Stewart, and step-father, George Stewart; his father Harry Heasley, his brother Leonard Heasley and his half-brother, Richard Heasley.

Larry's ashes will be scattered during the Blessing of the Fleet on May 5, 2018. A celebration of life will follow at 4:30 p.m. at New Life Assembly of God, 405 1st Ave. N, Ilwaco, WA. All are welcome to come to share and listen to stories of this charter fishing icon.

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