Allan Marston Heaslip

Allan Marston Heaslip, 92, of Richmond, Virginia, passed away on February 19, 2025.

 

He is survived by his wife, Eileen Heaslip, of Mechanicsville, VA, and his daughter Megan Heaslip Blake (Christopher) of Mechanicsville, and his son William Heaslip (Heather) of Staunton, VA, and grandchildren William and Katherine Blake, and Mykah and Liam Heaslip. He was preceded in death by his sisters Juditha Heaslip Biggs and Jacqueline Heaslip Studwell.

 

An endlessly curious and brilliant man, Allan lived a full, adventurous life. He was a world traveller, avid reader, witty storyteller, history scholar, and gifted artist. Born in Rahway, NJ, Allan spent the majority of his youth in Hackettstown, NJ, where he helped his parents renovate “The Barn” (a historic stone barn that had been a Hession prison during the Revolutionary War), which was both their family home and his father’s art studio. He took great pride in that labor of love, and had many great stories to share about that time of his life. He graduated from Blair Academy and Kenyon College, and went on to serve his country in the Air Force as a navigator, achieving the rank of major. After leaving the Air Force, he continued serving in the reserves, married his wife Eileen, and started his own successful demographic consulting business in Hackettstown. In his retirement, Allan and Eileen moved their family to Waynesboro, Virginia, where he restored an old farm house, raised cattle as a hobby, and loved tinkering with old machines and tools. He got a big kick out of restoring an antique corn mill and ground corn meal at local community events. He dedicated a large part of his later years documenting, collecting and preserving the beautiful artwork of his father, William J. Heaslip, a famous WW2 aviation artist. This work awakened his own passion for painting, which he brought him great joy for many years, right up until his final months.

 

A memorial service will be held at a future date as determined by his family.