It’s always hard to know how to best honor someone who has died. Do we send flowers? Set up a fund? Hold a memorial service? What is the best way to honor that person, acknowledge our grief, and also do something that will allow that person’s legacy to continue.
Jeremiah Healy’s death on August 14, 2014, left many people mourning him and also wanting to do something. Jerry took his own life at age 66, following a long battle with depression.
He left behind his fiancée and fellow author, Sandra Balzo, tons of friends, colleagues, and fans.
To honor Jerry Healy, his fellow mystery writers and friends, Brendan DuBois, Andi Shechter, SJ Rozan and her sister Deborah, and Balzo found a way to commemorate Jerry's work and life that they feel he would have loved.
So a memorial fund is being set up at Hero Dogs, a service dog organization that trains dogs to assist wounded veterans.
“Besides his work as an attorney and an author, Jerry was a U.S. Army vet, and was also a lover of dogs. [Hero Dogs] will be thrilled to receive donations in Jerry's name,” said DuBois in a press statement.
The idea for the fund began several weeks ago when the friends began to ask themselves what they should do.
“My first thoughts were things that were on my mind—depression, suicide prevention, or maybe literacy. All worthy causes, but not . . . very Jerry,” said Balzo in the press statement.
“If you knew Jeremiah Healy for any length of time, you might have heard him talk about the military and refer to somebody as ‘the real thing.’ ‘The Real Things’ are men and women who served our country heroically and selflessly, often at the expense of life, limb, or emotional health. In fact, the only time I saw Jerry cry was as he recounted an air mission in which the pilots took off knowing that, once the mission was achieved, they didn't have the fuel to return,” she added.
And that is where dogs come in.
“As for the canine component, I can't tell you how many strolls were doubled in duration because Jerry had to stop every passing dog walker with the question "Is he (or she) friendly?" and give 'em a good scratch. Even depressed, it was the one thing that seemed to help him, so I can only imagine what it does for wounded vets,” she added.
Hero Dogs is based in Maryland. It is an IRS approved 501(c)(3) organization and operates entirely on donations. You can donate via their website, or by sending a check to Hero Dogs, P.O. 64, Brookeville, MD 20833-0064. But please ensure either by writing on the memo section of your check, or using the form on their website, that you're making this donation in Jeremiah Healy's name.
That way, Hero Dogs can track how many donations come in, so that they can be used in some way to keep Jeremiah Healy's memory alive in years to come.
And if anyone wants to have their donation acknowledged by Balzo, or send her a personal note, she can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
And after honoring Healy through Hero Dogs, remember his novels.
Healy’s first novel about Boston private investigator John Francis Cuddy was Blunt Darts in 1984. His novel The Staked Goat won the Shamus Award, given by the Private Eye Writers of America, in 1986. He wrote 13 novels about Cuddy, the last of which, Spiral, was published in 1999 and took place mostly in Florida.
He also wrote three novels under the pseudonym Terry Devane about lawyer Mairead O’Clare.
