Obituary of Frank Anthony Headley

Frank Anthony Headley went to be with God on Sunday afternoon, October 17, 2021, while at home with his family by his side. He was born in Lowell, MA on January 7, 1944, son of the late Lt. Col. Chalon Shepard Headley and Helen Lula Headley.

As the son of a WWII veteran, Frank would move with his family from MA to LA to MS to Germany, and finally to SC, where Frank’s family would plant their roots.

Frank was a 1961 graduate of Dentsville High School and 1966 graduate of the University of South Carolina, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics. An accomplished student, Frank was on the Debate teams at both Dentsville High School and the University of South Carolina. 

He immediately began his Real Estate career, getting his real estate sales license in 1966, followed later by his broker’s license that he held for 55 years.  In 1975, Frank expanded his career, becoming a residential real estate appraiser and eventually a commercial real estate appraiser. Frank became a well-respected expert in multi-family properties in South Carolina and the southeast.

A member of the Yorkshire Neighborhood Association since its inception, Frank was the chair of the Membership/Fellowship committee for over a decade. Never settling on doing anything half-way, his committee routinely cooked and served BBQ, Beaufort Stew, spaghetti, burgers, hot dogs and desserts for 200+ neighbors.  

In 2000, Frank embarked on expanding his lifelong goal of becoming a SLED CWP instructor, and became a NRA Senior Training Counselor in 2004. With Linda and their good friends, he began to teach CWP and Gun Safety Classes together. It’s because of his passion that several hundred CWP holders and many NRA instructors were trained on “The Farm”.

Frank Headley was a husband, a father, a grandfather, an uncle, a brother, a son, a friend, a teacher, a mentor, a Gamecock, an entrepreneur, a lover of Freedom and the United States of America.

He loved a thick steak, a great scotch, and a good book. He taught us all how to be better people, to do what we are supposed to do, to work hard, to provide, to be honest, to be loyal, to be ethical and to take responsibility. He knew in a moment the words to say to ease someone’s pain or help someone get closer to their goal. Frank loved the family interactions at the dinner table, and really enjoyed your visits to his bar, where if you came once, your favorite beverage was often awaiting your next visit.

He loved his wife and best friend, Linda, who was a driving force in his successes, as he was in hers.  With her, he raised three boys to become men, and was very proud of them and their families.

Frank is survived by his wife of 45 years, Linda Barton Headley; their 3 sons, Chalon Shepard II (Anne), Frank Anthony, Jr. (Patti) and J. Kyle Smith (Lindy); and 10 grandchildren: Chalon III, Ashley, Emily, Caroline, Will, Matthew, Collin, Olivia, Dylan and Skylar.

They will travel together again one day in God’s Kingdom.

God blessed us all with you, Frank, we will be seeing you!

At Frank’s request, there will be no funeral or visitation. He wanted a Celebration. The Celebration of Life will be at the Headley residence, 6311 Kemberly Street Columbia, SC 29209, on November 6, 2021, from 4:00pm–7:00pm. 

Donations may be made in lieu of flowers to the American Lung Association at www.lung.org (or click here) and the American Heart Association at www.heart.org (or click here).