David Heeter

David George Heeter passed away after a long, brave battle with COPD and leukemia on Wednesday, June 14, 2023.

Dave was born in Missouri in 1940. He received his education at George Washington University in Missouri, now known as Washington University in St. Louis. While attending law school he worked as a police officer. He graduated and practiced law with a unique background from street wisdom. He lived and worked in St. Louis, Chicago, and Vermont, where he switched his vocations and worked on projects concerning land use and environmental protection, one of his passions. He eventually moved to North Carolina in the late ‘70s, where he transitioned into full-time attorney work with the North Carolina Department of Justice. As an assistant attorney general, his primary responsibility focused on the prosecution of individuals who broke environmental laws. His work focused on protecting the things he loved: nature, water, wildlife, and their habitats. He was a hunter and fisherman himself.

Dave also loved the arts: paintings, music, culture, and literature. A painter himself, he studied art up-close and personally as only an artist can, traveling internationally to visit the origins of some of his favorite art and serving as a docent for the NC Museum of Art.

He was an avid student of history and a gourmet cook. Dave supported numerous causes with both his money and his time, donating consistently to organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union, the American Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, the Audubon Society, and Defenders of Wildlife. He was a long-time member of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Raleigh.

Dave was a convivial conversationalist and storyteller. With a booming, hearty laugh, he told vivid, detailed stories about his encounters with sly, unsavory characters who broke the law. He loved to recount stories like a folklore humorist untwisting cases and exposing wrongdoing in the courtroom, winning cases by outsmarting the accused.

He is survived by his beloved wife, Sandy. He will be fondly remembered for his generosity of spirit, as well as his love of art, hunting, and his adored pets, especially his dogs – Petey and Chugie. A memorial service will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Raleigh at a later date.