William (Bill) F. Eddy, 59, and his wife, Jeanne (Heuer), 58, of Jacksonville, FL and Baltimore, MD, died alongside each other when their sightseeing plane crashed in the mountains near Ketchikan, Alaska on July 24. Jeanne’s sister, Marianne (Heuer) McManus and her brother-in-law Paul McManus, both of Leicester, MA, also died in the crash. William Eddy was the son of Robert Eddy and is survived by his mother, Elizabeth (Lawson) of Rutland, VT. He also leaves two brothers, Thomas and his wife Barbara of Macon, NC and Robert of Meredith, NH. Jeanne was the daughter of the late William F. and Anastasia (Clausen) Heuer. She leaves a brother, William F. Heuer III and his wife Loretta of Holliston, MA; a stepmother, Mary (Ferguson-Ridler) Heuer of Plantation, FL; a stepbrother, John Ridler and his wife Rosemary of Worcester, MA; and a stepsister, Monica (Ridler) Pyle and her husband Frank of Allentown, NJ. The couple leaves numerous nieces and nephews.
Bill was born in Rutland, VT, and was graduated from Merrimack College in 1970 with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering. He received his M.S. in Computer Science from The Johns Hopkins University. He began his career with the National Security Administration, developing analysis programs related to orbit calculations. His world-class understanding of orbit dynamics led him to hold positions at EG&G, developing NASA's orbit determination software system. He was Program Manager for the Geodynamics Group’s contract with the NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, and was Chief Operations Officer for Hughes STX, which later became the Raytheon Information and Technical Services Company, from which he retired.
Jeanne was born in Brooklyn, NY, and lived Brewster, NY before moving to Auburn, MA in 1959. A graduate of Notre Dame High School in Worcester, MA, she was also graduated from Merrimack College in North Andover, MA in 1970, with a B.A. in Mathematics. She received her Executive MBA from Loyola College in Baltimore, MD, and was a member of the American Academy of Actuaries and a fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society.
At the time of her retirement, Jeanne was executive vice president of corporate strategic support services for The Main Street America Group of Jacksonville, FL and Keene, NH, where, as the highest-ranked woman in the company, she was a dynamic and supportive leader, instrumental in significant company initiatives including mentoring. A nationally respected professional in the insurance industry for more than 25 years, Jeanne’s career included executive posts with The Hartford, USF&G and Zurich Insurance Group.
The couple, who met at Merrimack College, had recently celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary. During their years together they lived a wonderfully full life, enjoying frequent international travel, boating, and collecting fine art. They were involved in civic affairs in both Baltimore, MD and Jacksonville, FL.
Visiting Hours are Tues., July 31, from 4 to 8 PM at CALLAHAN & FAY BROTHERS FUNERAL HOME, 61 Myrtle St., Worcester, MA. A funeral mass will be held at 10 AM on Tues., August 7 at Christ the King Church in Rutland, VT, followed by burial at the Calvary Cemetery. Memorial gifts can be made to the Sisters of St Joseph in Holyoke, MA.