Publisher who helped transform Beaufort County newspapers dies

A Lady’s Island man who oversaw major changes to Beaufort County newspapers has died.

John Heath, former publisher of The Beaufort Gazette and The Island Packet, died Monday. He was 81.

Heath oversaw The Island’s Packet’s transition to a daily newspaper from a weekly publication and transitioned the Gazette from an afternoon paper to a daily morning product, according to his obituary. He also served as president of the S.C. Press Association and held numerous leadership roles in local nonprofit organizations, including United Way, Beaufort Memorial Hospital Foundation and Northern Beaufort County Education Foundation.

Before coming to the Lowcountry in 1973, Heath worked as advertising manager of The News & Observer in Raleigh, N.C. Heath was a North Carolina native who graduated from University of North Carolina and served in the Navy.

A visitation will be held at Anderson Funeral Home in Beaufort on Monday at 6 p.m.

This story was originally published November 9, 2017 at 9:08 AM with the headline "Publisher who helped transform Beaufort County newspapers dies."