HEAP, Parley Verl

The White Mountain Independent, Show Low, Arizona ~ December 30, 2008 Parley Verl Heap, 84, died peacefully at his home in St. Johns Dec. 24, 2008. He was born Sept. 6, 1924, in St. Johns to Parley and Leona Heap. He was raised in St. Johns and at a young age learned to garden, irrigate and work on the family's farm. At age 10 he began working for his uncles on their farms and ranches and quickly learned to do most anything there was to do. He became a good hand at both farming and ranching but ranch work was his favorite. He soon became a good horseman and loved working with cattle. Later on he learned to rope and enjoyed team roping with his friends and sons until just a few years before his death. In school, Verl enjoyed many things including basketball and music. He sang in the choir and played a trumpet in the band. And through many hours of practice, he became a real standout at basketball where he made his high school varsity team as a sophomore. His hard work in basketball soon paid off as he received a full-ride scholarship to play basketball at Arizona State University. While at ASU he quickly became an important part of the basketball program leading his team in scoring the first three games of his collegiate career. At the end of his freshman year in college he enlisted in the Air Force and served his country as a B17 pilot. While in the service, he married his sweetheart, Dawn Sherwood, also from St. Johns. After the war, they returned to ASU where he resumed his education and basketball career. During the next three years at Arizona State, he led the conference in scoring and was a member of the National Honor Society. Years later, in 1998, he was inducted into the ASU Athletic Hall of Fame. After his college days, Verl signed a contract to play professional basketball. He played in what was then the Basketball Association of America. He first played for the Providence, R.I., Steam Rollers and later with the Wilkes-Barre Barons of Pennsylvania. He quickly became a starter and a standout. After a short career as a professional basketball player, he decided to return to Arizona where he could raise a family and pursue the other things he loved. He first went back to ASU where he worked as an assistant basketball coach. He then went to Duncan High School for two years and following that he returned to his home town of St. Johns where he took up farming and ranching again and coached and taught school for more than 30 years. While coaching at St. Johns, he compiled an amazing record of 592 wins and 168 loses. His teams were region or conference champions more than 20 times, state runners-up six times and state champions eight times. He was also a long-time member of the Arizona Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Verl was an active and devoted member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints where he served in many capacities throughout his life. He was a farmer and rancher and devoted husband and father, friend and neighbor. He loved and supported his family with all his heart and they all loved him very much. He was preceded in death by his parents, Parley and Leona Heap; sister Peggy (Larry) Stradling and his oldest son, Gary (Lila) Heap. Survivors include his wife of 64 years, Dawn Sherwood Heap; daughter LeAnn (George) Proctor; sons Jimmy (Jenny) Heap and Roger (Terri) Heap; daughter Eileen (Darrell) Lindsey; brothers Theo (Gloria) Heap and Ronald (Bobbie) Heap; sisters Mary Ellen (Barry) Webb and Lakay (Joey) Grant; 18 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren. Funeral services will be held Jan. 3, at 11 a.m. with a viewing one hour prior at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Down Town Chapel, in St. Johns. A viewing will also be held at Burnham Mortuary in St. Johns Friday, Jan. 2, from 6-8 p.m. Information can be found at www.burnhammortuary.com.