ATLANTA — The man who was killed after he was struck by a fallen tree near Buckhead Village during an outbreak of severe thunderstorms Sunday afternoon was identified as a well-known, top producing realtor in Atlanta. He was 55 years old.
George Heery Jr. was a respected and prominent real estate agent who worked for Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby's International Realty. Fulton County Medical Examiner confirmed with 11Alive Heery was killed in the tragic incident Sunday.
Heery had over 20 years of experience in real estate development, financial analysis, investment sales, market analysis and corporate re-engineering, according to his biography on Sotheby's real estate page.
The Heery family is one of the most renowned in the history of Atlanta. George Heery Sr., his father who died two years ago at the age of 93, helped design historical landmarks Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium and the Georgia Dome. He also helped design facilities on the campus of Emory University and the Atlanta History Center.
His father and family were also very progressive politically, as Heery Sr. supported Andrew Young in 1970 when he won for Congress. Heery Jr.'s father was also on the board of Spelman College.
He was joined in the business by his brother, Neal, in which his bio described that George and Neal were partners and were looked upon as the "leading producers and experts" in the field of redevelopment of fine Intown residential locations in high-end areas such as Buckhead, Sandy Springs and more.
"Heery Brothers continue to be perennial top producers," his bio said.
The brothers had been partners at Sotheby's for nearly 16 years, when they joined in October 2007.
As brothers in business, the two accomplished the No. 1 Team Small company wide award in 2010, 2011 and 2013, while earning the No. 1 Team Small in Buckhead award in 2012 and 2013, according to Heery's LinkedIn page. The two averaged over $34 million per year in sales from 2014 to 2018, his bio states.
On his LinkedIn page, Heery described his favorite activities as swimming, biking and running. He received his undergraduate degree from the Catholic University of America in 1991 and then earned his master's in business administration from Georgia State University in 1996, with an emphasis on real estate, his LinkedIn page said.
Heery was rushed to the hospital in critical condition where he later died from his injuries, police said.
A funeral service will be held for Heery on Friday at 10 a.m. at The Cathedral of Saint Phillip in Atlanta. In lieu of flowers, a Heery Brothers social media post asks for donations to the Atlanta Lab Rescue-- a cause that was close to his heart.