Influential Tour Supervisor Heiss III Passes Away

© Heiss FamilyCol. John Heiss III.

Former ATP Tour Supervisor Col. John Heiss III passed away at his home in Indialantic, Fla. on Friday. He was 81.

Known to all officials as ‘The Colonel’ for his military background, Heiss arrived at the ATP World Tour in 1990, serving as one of the organisation’s tour supervisors until 1996, when he retired. He previously worked for the Men’s International Professional Tennis Council and USTA Circuit events as a Tour Supervisor and was a deputy referee at the US Open. After his retirement, Heiss remained close to his peers at ATP. He has been highly influential on the careers of a number of current officiating team members.

“The Colonel meant so much to so many of today’s officials, both professionally and personally,” said Gayle David Bradshaw, ATP Executive Vice President, Rules & Competition. “He was our mentor, colleague and friend. We were all blessed to have had him in our lives and he will be dearly missed.”

Heiss' decorated career in the U.S. Army spanned 27 years. Initially drafted in 1952, Heiss was an OCS Honor Graduate at Ft. Sill, Okla. in 1954 and attended Command & General Staff College and the U.S. Army War College. He had several artillery assignments and also commanded one battery, two battalions and one group. Among his honours, Heiss received three below-the-zone promotions, the Army Staff (ODCSOPS and ACSI) and Secretary of Defense (SECDEF I) Medals, two Legions Of Merit, one Bronze Star and three Commendation Medals.

Col. Heiss was preceded in death by his beloved wife Sally Belle, who passed away in 2009. The surviving family includes his two daughters, Candace and Holly "Atara" Heiss, his son, John IV "Jack" (Kathy) Heiss, four grandchildren: Jill Friday, Johnny, Amanda and Hannah Heiss and one great-granddaughter, Pressly.

A Military Funeral with Honour Guard will be held at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, 9 January at the Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell, Fla.