
DATE: Wednesday, October 1, 1997            TAG: 9710010451

SECTION: FRONT                   PAGE: A1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY WARREN FISKE, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:  109 lines

HEILIG, LEGISLATOR WHO SHUNNED LIMELIGHT, DIES

George H. Heilig Jr., a quiet yet powerful legislator who represented Norfolk in the House of Delegates for 26 years, died suddenly on Tuesday. He was 54.

Heilig had just set out on a morning cruise with two friends aboard his beloved boat when he suffered a massive heart attack. Paramedics pronounced him dead shortly after the boat returned to Willoughby Harbor Marina.

A former All-American football star at Hampden-Sydney College, Heilig rose through the ranks of the House to the powerful chairmanship of the Commerce, Insurance and Banking Committee - a position he held at the time of his death. Widely respected for deep institutional knowledge of state codes, the Democrat played a key role in determining regulations for Virginia businesses.

Never one to seek attention, Heilig received equal satisfaction from his behind-the-scenes work on the House Appropriations Committee procuring funds for a host of Norfolk pet projects, including sand replenishment of the Ocean View beaches.

In recent years, Heilig had been beset by a degenerative eye disease that left him legally blind. Unable to read bills or recognize longtime constituents from his Ocean View district, Heilig decided last May not to seek re-election this fall. His term would have expired in January.

His death brought somber tributes from colleagues, constituents and political foes.

``He's going to be sorely missed,'' said state Sen. Stanley C. Walker, D-Norfolk, one of the few state legislators senior in tenure to Heilig.

``He was known as a guy who was quiet and shy, but he had a way of getting things done,'' Walker said. ``He could take a complicated bill and analyze it and understand it like few people I've ever seen.''

House Speaker Thomas W. Moss Jr., D-Norfolk, said he had a close friendship with Heilig through their 26 years of joint service in the legislature and their memberships in the Norfolk Yacht Club. He recalled Heilig as a thoughtful legislator and a champion tennis player.

``I had a nickname for him: Mr. Congeniality,'' Moss said. ``I never heard him say anything bad about anybody. He was a very conscientious man, a perfect gentleman. I never heard him raise his voice. If I ever had a restaurant, I'd want him to be the maitre d'.''

The Norfolk City Council observed a moment of silence for Heilig at the start of its meeting Tuesday. Heilig and Mayor Paul D. Fraim were longtime partners in the same Norfolk law firm until Heilig retired in 1995.

``He was a great servant for the city and a friend,'' Fraim said. ``He was an extremely capable legislator and he was willing to carry tough issues for the city and his constituents. He was a great supporter of our colleges and public education and he was a great champion of Old Dominion University and the medical community. He's going to be greatly missed.''

Heilig was a lifelong resident of Norfolk who first attracted headlines as a star athlete almost four decades ago. He lettered in four sports at Norfolk Academy and was known as the city's best junior tennis player.

He played receiver on the football team at Hampden-Sydney College, where he was named honorable mention Little All-American after his junior and senior seasons.

Heilig received a law degree from the University of Virginia. His practice in Norfolk specialized in maritime and corporate law.

A trim, agile man with delicate features and a bald pate, Heilig was always concerned about his health and kept in shape. Both his father and grandfather died of sudden heart attacks at early ages, friends say. He is survived by two grown children and a recently born first grandchild.

Heilig was a devout Washington Redskins fan who often attended the football team's games and enjoyed critiquing its performance.

He was an easy-going, studious man who was made uncomfortable by attention. His low-key style kept him little known to reporters. But lobbyists and fellow legislators regarded him as one of the legislature's most effective workers.

``I don't think George ever called a news conference in his life,'' said Marilyn Doheny, his legislative assistant for 17 years. ``He stayed behind the scenes and got things done.

``He was an incredibly kind man who liked to do things for himself,'' she added. ``I think I worked for him for 10 years before he would allow me to bring him a cup of coffee.''

Ted Smith, president of Independent Insurance Agents of Virginia in Richmond, regularly lobbied Heilig on issues concerning his industry. ``He never had the arrogance that people sometimes associate with legislators,'' he said.

At times during his career, Heilig was criticized for accepting heavy campaign contributions from insurance and banking interests his committee oversaw. But fellow Democrats always defended him as being unflinchingly fair.

Heilig's blindness - caused by an irreversible disease known as macular degeneration - had a profound effect upon his final years. He separated from his wife, quit his law firm, and left Norfolk for several months in 1995 - leaving his colleagues uncertain whether he planned to return.

But Heilig would spend two more years in the General Assembly even though he became dependent on Doheny to read bills to him and to chauffeur him to and from Richmond.

It all took a toll. ``He decided not to seek re-election this spring after he started going door-to-door in his district and couldn't tell if a man or a woman was answering it,'' she said.

``He was a good friend and I'll miss him,'' she added.

A memorial service will be conducted at noon Thursday at the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd. MEMO: Staff writers Tom Shean, Jon Glass, Ledyard King and Tony Wharton

contributed to this report. ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]

HIS CAREER

Heilig, a Democrat, represented Norfolk in the House of Delegates

for 26 years.

He was chairman of the House Commerce, Insurance and Banking

Committee, through which he played a key role in determining

regulations for Virginia businesses.

Through his behind-the-scenes work on the House Appropriations

Committee, he helped procure funds for Norfolk projects, including

Ocean View beach renourishment. KEYWORDS: DEATH OBITUARY