James Heilman

James M. Heilman, better known as “J,” of Dayton, Ohio, died on December 7th, 2025 at 81 years of age. He was the son of James M. Heilman and Rosemary Cypher Heilman, and was born in Charleston, West Virginia, in 1944.

He grew up in Piqua, Ohio and graduated from Earlham College. He completed graduate work at Indiana University and received his M.A. in anthropology from Kent State University. He lived in Dayton, Ohio for over 50 years. He is survived by his sister Myra A. Heilman Strauchen of Park City, Utah; his niece Bradley, her husband Eric, and their daughter Eliza of New York City; several Cypher and McCarty cousins; and his faithful companion Obie, a black standard poodle.

J is best known for his work as Curator of Anthropology at the Dayton Museum of Natural History (Boonshoft Museum) and for more than 20 years of excavation and development of the “Incinerator Site,” later known as SunWatch Archaeological Park with the Heilman–Kettering Museum. While SunWatch is known for its astronomical alignments and concentric rings of stockades, houses, storage, trash pits, and rings of burial around a central plaza with its astronomically aligned center post, it remains the most extensively excavated Fort Ancient cultural site known. The data set has produced hundreds of papers, doctoral dissertations, and master’s theses. Concurrently, he worked with Mrs. Virginia W. Kettering and the Kettering Family Fund, as well as the Wallace Foundation, among many others, in developing the site. He was deeply appreciative of the work of the many volunteers and students who made this possible, as well as the aid and support of the Native American Advisory Council, the Ohio Preservation Alliance, and the Cox Arboretum.

Those who knew J knew of his love for anthropology as well as his many other interests, including collecting items, gardening, animals, nature, and the cultivation of friendships and followers. J enjoyed sharing his knowledge with others, he was a master at making everyone feel welcome. He would often say “Cheers!” to celebrate your presence or highlight a moment. He valued conversation, connection, and the relationships he nurtured over a lifetime, and he was especially grateful to the friends who supported him and helped care for his home and garden, allowing him to remain there through life’s many changes. In the final months of his life, as his health declined, he was so thankful for the care and kindness shown by the staff at the hospitals, rehabilitation center, retirement center, and Hospice of Dayton. He often parted with the words, “Be well! Ciao!” Throughout his life, J defied all odds, surpassing his predicted lifespan several times and by many years. He now resides amongst the wealth of friends and loved ones he so fondly remembered.

A celebration of life will be announced at a later date, most likely in May. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the SunWatch Endowment, the Dayton Society of Natural History, 2600 DeWeese Parkway, Dayton, OH 45414, or to the charity of one’s choice.