Jackson H. Sheats of Lansdowne, Virginia, passed away surrounded by family on January 27, 2015 at Inova Loudoun Hospital in Lansdowne.

Born in Memphis, Tennessee on October 26, 1926, he was one of two children of Jackson H. Sheats, Sr. and Bertha Leigh Buchanan. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Ilse Henning Sheats of Lansdowne, VA., his sister Jeannine Odom of Hattiesburg, MS, his daughter Anna Askari of Leesburg, VA, his son David Sheats of Ashburn, VA, and his granddaughter Sonya Sheats and great-grandson Felix Selman of Cambridge, MA.

After completing his education at Columbia University in New York, Mr. Sheats worked for the American Viscose Corporation in Chicago, Illinois. He studied voice with Robert Long in Chicago, sang in the chorus of the Lyric Opera, and was the tenor soloist at the Rockefeller Chapel in Hyde Park. An avid fan of movies from the 1930s and 40s, Mr. Sheats was a veritable encyclopedia of famous stars of that era. He also had an enormous love for animals, especially cats.

In 1964 he moved his family to Europe and signed on as lyric tenor with the City Theater of Coblenz, Germany. In addition to 52 performances of The Merry Widow at the Koblenz Operette on the Rhein, Mr. Sheats sang more than 20 leading tenor roles on the opera stages of Germany between 1964 and 1973, including the role of MacHeath in the German premiere of Benjamin Britten's The Beggar's Opera at the Cologne Chamber Opera. In 1973 he gave a full evening recital at Wigmore Hall in London before returning to the United States to teach voice at the Shenandoah University Conservatory, where he shared his love of music and high standards with his students until his retirement as Professor Emeritus in 2002.

During his years at Shenandoah, Mr. Sheats sang several performances at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., including the title role in Beethoven's Christ on the Mount of Olives with the Paul Hill Chorale, as well as the tenor roles in Handel's Messiah and in Beethoven's C Major Mass. He also sang the tenor role in Beethoven's 9th Symphony for two seasons of the Shenandoah Valley Music Festival in Orkney Springs. Mr. Sheats served two terms as President of the Virginia Chapter and two terms as State Governor of the National Association of Teachers of Singing.

Visitation will be Friday, January 30 from 6-8pm at Colonial Funeral Home of Leesburg. Services at the funeral home on Saturday, January 31, at 11 am. Interment to follow in Ivy Hill Cemetery in Upperville, Va. In lieu of flowers, please make contributions to the ASPCA.