John “Jack” Headley, Jr., 82, of Brookings passed away peacefully at home on Christmas Eve with family by his side. 

Mass of Christian burial will be 10:30 a.m. Monday, Dec. 30, 2019 at St. Thomas More Catholic Church, Brookings,  

Memorial Visitation will be 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 29, 2019, at Rude’s Funeral Home, Brookings with at 4 p.m. Liturgical Wake Service.  In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the South Dakota Amateur Radio Council (SDARC) at: http://sdlink.org/ or to the Sanford Underground Research Facility for summer student internships at: South Dakota Science and Technology Authority, Attn: Ms. Nancy Geary, 630 East Summit Street, Lead, SD 57754.

Jack was born in 1937 in Winner, SD to Dr. John and Leona (Erickson) Headley. As a child, Jack lived in several cities in the Midwest before moving to Brookings in 9th grade. 

He graduated from Brookings High School in 1955 and attended SDSU where he met the love of his life on a blind date. Jack and Marcella (Minnaert) were married in Madison, SD in 1959. They lived in Brookings for the entirety of their 60 wonderful years of marriage and were blessed with four children: Teresa, Beth, Karen, and Mike. Jack and Marc have been long-time members of St. Thomas More Catholic Church. Jack worked as an electrical contractor and retired in 2016 from Clites Electric.

Jack was a private and selfless man who was always present in his family’s lives including spending summers at the family cabin at Lake Poinsett. He was an active amateur radio operator since the age of 15. Jack helped provide communications support for natural disasters including the Rapid City Flood in 1972. He was a lifetime golfer and taught his children and grandchildren the game. Jack and Marcella have been avid lifetime SDSU Jackrabbit fans.

Jack was active in the Brookings and South Dakota state hockey programs and helped lead the construction of the first indoor ice arena in Brookings. He was a past parish council member at St. Thomas More Church. He taught 4-H dog obedience when his children were involved in the program. Jack served as a volunteer fireman, was a lifetime member of the Brookings Elks Club, and served as a district council member for Boy Scouts.

Jack is survived by his wife, Marcella (Minnaert) Headley; four children (in-laws): Teresa (Larry) Hill, Clifton, VA; Beth (Tim) Kniffen, Waukee, IA; Karen (Rick) Bergman, Chaska, MN; and Michael (Elizabeth Freer) Headley, Spearfish, SD; and six grandchildren: Bryan and Mark Piatkowski, Dustin (Jacqui) Kniffen, Connor and Kyle Bergman, and Alexandra Headley. Jack was an only child but was warmly welcomed by Marcella’s twelve siblings.

Condolences may be sent to the family through www.rudesfuneralhome.com.