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IN LOVING MEMORY OF

Rev'D Fr.

Rev'D Fr. Craig V. Heenan Profile Photo

Craig V. Heenan

Feb 12, 1961 — Aug 6, 2018

Obituary


CRAIG VICTOR HEENAN entered the Church Triumphant on August 6th, 2018 after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 57 years old. Craig was born February 12th, 1961 in Akron, Ohio, the only surviving child of Ronald Elliott Heenan and Gloria Marie Burnette Heenan. He attended Dulles HS in Missouri City, TX and graduated from JJ Pearce HS in Richardson, TX in 1979. In spite of his 6' 5" frame, he was not naturally athletic and limited his sports activity in high school to the golf team where he was most successful if he restricted his play to using only a 6 iron and a putter.  Even in high school he perceived the Lord's calling to be a minister of the Gospel but he suppressed that urging and began his college studies in engineering. God was insistent with his plans for Craig when He gave him an extreme phobia of dams during his first semester. Craig quickly changed his major and completed his Bachelor's Degree in Philosophy at The University of Texas at Dallas in 1982. He continued his studies at SMU Perkins School of Theology obtaining his Masters of Divinity in 1986 and was ordained to the ministry in the United Methodist Church.
Due to the fact that his family moved several times during high school, Craig's intimate circle of friends were found amongst his fellow employees at Six Flags over Texas where he worked from 1979 to 1982. He held a variety of jobs in the rides division, working at Bumper Cars, Big Bend roller coaster, and his favorites LaSalle's River Adventure and on the Train as both a conductor and engineer. His closest friendships were made with the Riverboat crew or the River Rats as they called themselves. While the ride closed long ago, these friendships remain close to this day. As a minister, he married several of his friends and raised his family along with theirs. Anytime they got together there are fond stories retold again and again of their escapades and all can still recite the riverboat spiel.
In 1984, Craig joined the United States Navy Chaplain Corps. He had fully intended to make the Navy his career at least until he met Donna. He decided that being separated from his family would prove too great a hardship so he remained in the Reserves taking an honorable discharge after 9 years at the rank of Lieutenant. During his time in the Navy he trained at the Naval War College in Newport, served at NAS Dallas where he was attached to several Marine units, helped with the opening of the new Balboa Hospital in San Diego, sent the Coral Sea on deployment to Libya, prayed over the safety of many units deploying to Iraq during the first Gulf War (barely missing being deployed himself with the Marine Amphibious unit that was next up to go when the war ended), revised the Chaplain handbook while on duty at the Navy yard in Washington D.C., and retired the Lexington as it moved from its home port in Pensacola to the shipyards in Mobile, Alabama. Behind his gentle demeanor lied an officer's bark that meant business when he chose to use it.
Craig met Donna Belcher in 1985 while working as a minister to single adults at First United Methodist Church in Richardson. God's timing is perfect as both had attended the same high school but never crossed paths. Both worked at the same Dillard's department store, Donna in China, Craig in Men's Accessories. Donna would joke that she dated several young men from the Men's department just never got around to the accessories. And both had attended the same church but not the same service. It wasn't until they had both finished their undergraduate degrees and moved back to their home base that they met in a Sunday school class that Craig was teaching. It did not take long for them to realize they had found their balanced match and he proposed after only dating a month and a half. They were married in April 1986.
As a Methodist minister Craig served at FUMC Richardson, FUMC Mesquite, FUMC Royse City, FUMC Dallas, FUMC Garland and Pleasant Valley UMC. As he and his fellow seminary classmates were about to be ordained at annual conference they were dismayed by the speeches of the retiring pastors who had been worn down and made bitter. Not wishing to come to the end of their careers with regret, twelve of the group decided to form a group for their mutual spiritual support and accountability. They named their group The Dead Wesleys. Several times per year they would go on retreat and report on their churches, study scripture, account for themselves according to the monastic rule, discuss the works of the Church Fathers, smoke cigars, drink scotch and go bowling. Several of the group studied themselves out of mainline Protestantism and into the more
sacramental liturgical practices with one going to the Orthodox Church, one to the Catholic Church and Craig to the Anglican tradition. He received his Anglican Diploma from Trinity Episcopal School of Ministry in Pittsburgh, PA in 1999. He returned to Dallas and served at The Church of The Transfiguration and The Episcopal Church of The Holy Nativity. In 2001, Craig accepted a call to the Diocese of San Joaquin in central California where he was Rector of Saviour Episcopal Church in Hanford. During his time in California, he was Vice President of the Diocesan Council under Bishop John David Schoffield during the time when the Diocese was discerning to leave the Episcopal Church. He was Chairman of the Diocesan Council of Mission and was named Cardinal to the mission churches in Corcoran, Lindsey and Lemoore. California was a great place for the kids to grow into maturity as they learned to ski in Yosemite and surf in Pismo, but in 2007 it was time to go home to Texas. Craig accepted a call to Good Shepard Episcopal Church in Tomball and helped with the transition of St. Timothys. Craig spent so much of his ministry working in church planting as a coach and mentor so he came to the decision that it was time to try and plant one himself in 2009 with the opening of Savior Anglican Church in Magnolia which he led for four years. Twenty seven years and 11 churches in full time ministry with over 1300 sermons preached is a long stretch for any minister and Craig stepped down from full time ministry in 2013. The life of a priest is like a marriage, through sickness and health, in good times and bad, he celebrated the marriages, the births, the baptisms and the deaths with his spiritual gift of pastoral care. He continued to serve on occasion at his home church Hopepointe Anglican and was Canon Pastor to the priests of the Diocese of The Western Gulf Coast. Craig's last earthly ministry was in the pastoral care of bereaved families as a funeral director for Klein Funeral Homes.
Craig was a voracious reader and the well worn pages of his books are a testament to his love of books. Upon moving to California 274 of 576 cartons total were his library. There were very few battlefields or museums this history buff and trivia master had not been to.  He loved models and was absolutely passionate about model trains. Craig had a dry wit tempered with sarcasm. He loved puns and was quick with a comeback. His alter ego was that of a peace officer and he spent hours watching Forensic Files and COPS. In the end, the guy with the athletic cut t-shirt was always going to jail. He trained his children by pointing out the example of bad behavior and even as adults he cautioned them when leaving the house with the comment "make smart decisions". But his most honorable qualities were that of humility, loyalty and unconditional love. He was a gentle giant (Padre Gigante) and a friend to all. Craig was a faithful and holy priest and he loved the Lord with his whole being.
Craig was preceded in death by his parents Ron & Gloria Heenan and his father-in-law Robert Belcher. He is survived by his loving wife Donna Belcher Heenan, daughter Mary Margaret Bailey and husband Michael, grandson Lucas Bailey, daughter Brenna Kathleen Lee and husband Christopher, mother-in-law Una Belcher, Brother-in-law Robb Belcher, Patrick & Collin Belcher, cousins that he considered siblings Jim & Debbie Heenan, Rosemary Heenan, Rick & Beth Heenan, Mike & Shelagh Heenan and Dan & Ginny Heenan. He leaves behind a host of very dear friends.

Funeral Services

Visitation

August
11

Saturday

Klein Funeral Home-Tomball

1400 West Main Street, Tomball, TX 77375

5:00 - 7:00 pm

Funeral Service

August
12

Sunday

Hope Pointe Anglican Church

3333 South Panther Creek Drive, Spring, TX 77381

Starts at 4:30 pm

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