Burton Andrew "Chip" Heatherly

Burton Andrew "Chip" Heatherly, 73, died peacefully at his home in Palatine, IL on Wednesday, February 11, 2026 of colorectal cancer which, after over six years in remission, had metastasized to his brain and lung.

He is survived by his loving wife of 43 years, Leslie; his son, Neal; his daughter, Lisa, his only grandchild, Harvey Heatherly-Rottink; his siblings Robert, Mike, Carroll (& Maureen), Matthew and Tom (& Patty) Heatherly, Catherine "Kit" (& Jeff) Schubert; Nora (& Quentin) Silic and Laura (& Mark) Anderson as well as his 23 nephews and nieces and all of their children.

Chip was born in the Marquette Park neighborhood of Chicago, IL and at seven years of age moved to Indian Head Park where he lived until he moved to Naperville in his late teens.

Chip lived in various Chicago suburbs before settling with his wife, Leslie, in Palatine, IL where they lived happily together for 43 years.

Chip sang in local rock-n-roll bands and worked at DJ's Music in Cicero for many years. He loved all kinds of music and had a beautiful singing voice.

At 35, Chip earned his B.S. with High Honors in Accounting from Depaul University. While pursuing his degree, he received many writing awards. Burt passed the CPA Exam in his first attempt. Over the duration of his career he worked in the public accounting, real estate and banking industries.

Later in his career, Burt worked for a non-profit, Rainbows for All Children, which he enjoyed immensely and where he learned the joy of making a real difference to those who need it most.

Burt became actively involved in Scouting America as an Assistant Scoutmaster while son, Neal, was a scout. He enjoyed it so much that he became Scoutmaster and served in that capacity for five years. Burt loved the outdoors and supporting the scouts in developing their leadership skills so they could fulfill their mission of being a scout run troop. He appreciated the character of the other adult leaders.

After he retired, Burt chose to continue his volunteerism. He became actively involved with his Church, Christ Lutheran, ultimately becoming V.P. of Church Council and volunteer bookkeeper.

Burt had a passion for this work and was willing to help all the office volunteers with Excel and any technical or computer challenges they might have. Burt found this phase of his life very fulfilling.

Chip's Visitation will be held on Friday, February 20, 2026 from 4:00 – 8:00 p.m. at Christ Lutheran Church, 41 S. Rohlwing Rd, Palatine, IL. His funeral services will be held at the same location on Saturday, February 21st at 11:00 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating in Burt's name to the American Cancer Society, earmarked specifically for colorectal research, or the Epilepsy Foundation.

Chip will be remembered for his kindness, his gentle spirit, his calming presence, his commitment to bringing Leslie coffee in bed every morning, his love of music, his steadfast love for his family, his volunteerism, his fabulous gourmet cooking and the way he showed up for the people he loved.