I apologize to everyone for not getting this info out until now. Dick was Director of the corps in the early years. His son John was a Baritone player and later Drum Major. His son Jim was a Contra and then an instructor.
Dick W. Headley, 84, of Galva, died at 5:15 a.m. Monday, March 30, 2009, at OSF St. Mary Medical Center in Galesburg.
Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Friday, April 3, at Rux Funeral Home in Galva. The Rev. Ann Champion will officiate. Visitation will be from 5-7 p.m. Thursday, April 2, at the funeral home with Masonic rites at 6:45 p.m. Burial will be in Galva Cemetery, where military rites will be accorded by the Galva Fusiliers. Memorials may be made to the Galva Park District or the Galva Historical Society.
Dick was born on Dec. 14, 1924, in Linton, Ind., the son of Gilbert and Inez (White) Headley. He is survived by six children, John (Becky) Headley of Ft. Myers, Fla., Jim (Bonnie) Headley of Galva, Carlin (Robert) Follis of Remsen, Iowa, Cherrie (Richard) Rosander of Bishop Hill, Jeff (Brenda) Puckett of Owasso, Okla. and Brian Headley of Galva; 11 grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; and a sister, Janet (James) Steele of Boise, Idaho.
He served his country in the Army Air Corps during World War II. He started as a lumberjack and then as an equipment operator for Sherwood Templeton Coal Co. at the Little John Mine. He also worked for ASARCO at the Allendale and Mecco mines for 35 years.
He was a member of First United Methodist Church and a lifetime member of the Hagburg-Hamlin American Legion and Little John Conservation Club. He had also belonged to the Galva Masonic Lodge, the Galva Historical Society, the NRA and Ducks Unlimited. In earlier years, he belonged to the Kewanee Black Knights Drum and Bugle Corps and served as a director of the Knights Junior Drum Corps.
He was a former mayor and councilman for the City of Galva. He was instrumental in the formation of the Galva Park District and served as a board member. As a member of the Galva American Legion, he helped in the formation of the Avenue of Flags and the Veteran Memorial Brick Program. He was also a longtime member of the Galva Fusiliers, which provided the military rites of local veterans. He was also an avid arrowhead collector and held an extensive collection of these artifacts. This obituary may be viewed and private condolences left at www.ruxfuneralhome.com.