James Franklin Heathcock (Jim) was born in San Antonio and spent his early years living in various houses and apartments on the Southeast of San Antonio. He attended Brackenridge High School, graduating in 1957. He attended Abilene Christian College for two years. He worked in retail sales at Sears, where he eventually became manager of the shoe department.
Jim served in the US army from January 9, 1963 until January 8, 1965. He was stationed at Fort Chaffey in Fort Smith, Arkansas. As he told his brother in 2018, when he was interviewed by a placement officer after basic training, he was told “We can place you as a typist or if you would like an outdoor job we can send you overseas to a place called Vietnam. Personally, if I were you, I would take the office job.” So Jim did take the office job and for the rest of his life he joked that he was in the army during the Vietnam War but he never fired a gun or had a gun fired at him. This two-year stint paid off big time because it qualified him for VA benefits, including full medical care for the rest of his life, including the huge costs of a heart transplant.
Jim had athersclerosis and had bypass surgery in 1978. Following that operation, he experienced cardiomyapothy. He had a heart transplant June 15, 1986. At the time of his death, Jim had survived 32 years and 6 months with his original heart transplant, making him one of the longest-surviving heart transplant patients. The record is held by
heart transplant patient Ted Nowakowski (USA, b. 23 November 1948) who lived for 34 years and 261 days after receiving his transplant on 25 April 1983 and surviving until 11 January 2018.23Jim and his wife Pat Davis Heathcock founded Standard Stamp Company on Basse Road in San Antonio in the late 1970s. In his later years, he and Pat were residents at Brookdale Assisted Living in San Antonio.
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James Franklin "Jim" Heathcock passed away on December 19, 2018, at the age of 79 years.
Jim was a San Antonio native, son of Clayton Howell Heathcock Sr. and Frances Elizabeth Lay Heathcock.
He was a 1957 graduate of Brackenridge High School and attended Abilene Christian College.
He was married to Marilyn Anne Hoag from May 9, 1962 until January 6, 1970 and to Patricia Jo "Pat" Davis from July 4, 1972 until her death, May 7, 2018.
Jim's early employment was in retail sales, at Sears, where he was Manager of the shoe department, and Rhodes, later Liberty House, where he was Store Assistant Manager. In the late 1970s he and Pat founded Standard Stamp Company on Basse Road and operated it there for almost 40 years.
Jim served the United States Army from 1963-65. During the late 1970s Jim experienced serious heart issues, leading to a heart transplant, which he received at the VA hospital in Richmond, Virginia, on June 15, 1986. At the time of his death he was one of the longest-surviving heart transplant patients in the United States.
Jim is survived by his children, grandchildren, siblings, other relatives and many friends.
Rest in peace, sir.