Damany Head, 48, died July 26 due to complications from a prior cardiac arrest.

Head led the Pontiac Regional Chamber of Commerce and was a business owner, literacy advocate and creator of youth STEM opportunities.

Head leaves behind a wife and three children. A memorial service is set for Aug. 5.

The chair of the Pontiac Regional Chamber of Commerce is being remembered as a man who made a difference.

Damany Head died July 26 due to complications from a cardiac arrest earlier in the month, his wife and a friend confirmed. He was 48.

Head had served as chair of the chamber since 2016 and was known for his community involvement in literacy, mentorship and supporting his fellow man.

He was a creative servant leader and someone who embodied what’s most important in life, Pontiac City Council President Mike McGuinness said in a video posted to Facebook after Head’s death.

“I hope that I can be a fraction of the person that you are,” McGuinness said.

McGuinness, who is running for mayor of the city, was joined by fellow mayoral candidates including Alexandria T. Riley in recognizing Head’s contributions.

Riley noted his work to support and connect local businesses to resources.

“His passion for seeing Pontiac succeed inspired everyone around him,” Riley said in a post on Facebook, later adding: “Pontiac has lost a true champion!”

Head was also a father of three and just celebrated 20 years since his first date with his wife, Shanell Weatherspoon, Weatherspoon told the Free Press.

Head was born in Kalamazoo, lived in New York state and moved back to Michigan to work as an engineer, Weatherspoon said. The two met through church, by way of an introduction from her dad.

The couple founded Essential Recycling, a commercial recycling company focused on sustainability and fueled by care for the environment, according to Weatherspoon.

Through Head’s work with the chamber of commerce, they set up the nonprofit Pontiac United Education Coalition to improve educational outcomes. He was also the lead founder of a paid youth internship program for careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Head also coached people, mentored kids even as they waited to be picked up, and helped local businesses thrive, said longtime friend and business owner Christopher Briney.

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Briney, who runs a Royal Oak yoga studio, even credits Head for changes he made to private yoga sessions. Briney used to shape private lessons around whatever a client asked for. Head challenged him to trust his expertise to create a curriculum for these. Briney now does an intake and health assessment before starting sessions, and has return clients who’ve reported real growth and personal benefit, Briney said.

“He was an engine for change,” Briney said.

He was also one of the most “profoundly present” people Briney has known, Briney said. He paid attention and genuinely cared for people.

Head would probably consider being a father his greatest assignment, his wife said. He was father to Christian, Arianna and Brayden Head, who are 16, 14 and 9 years old, respectively. He liked to take the family on adventures, one summer making sure they visited all the Great Lakes.

His creative energy also came through in his cooking, Weatherspoon said. She’d look at their ingredients and say there was nothing to eat; Head would make a feast of it, all the while happily showing his kids how to do so, playing music or talking on the phone as he did.

The family doesn’t quite know how to move on without him, Weatherspoon said.

They feel blessed for the time they had, though.

And everybody – if they are willing to do a little more – can help build on his legacy, Weatherspoon said.

“There will not be another Damany Head, but everybody has a little Damany in them and they can make a difference in their community just like he did.”

The chamber posted on social media about the loss and included an excerpt of a poem written by his eldest son, Christian:

“He built people up, made broken things mend,

a quiet leader, a neighbor, a friend.

He gave more than he ever kept —

a legacy planted while others slept.

The program he started still carries his name,

proof that one heart can spark real change.”

Briney set up a GoFundMe to collect donations to support the family.

A memorial service is set for noon Aug. 5 at Kensington Church in Troy.