June 28, 1924 to August 12, 2002.

The inventor of the modern-day Frisbee may be gone, but his spirit — and his ashes — will continue to fly high into the great blue yonder.

“Steady” Ed Headrick, who also invented the sport of disc golf, died in his sleep early Monday, August 12, 2002, at his home in La Selva Beach. He was 78.

No services are planned. Headrick’s ashes will be molded into a limited number of memorial flying discs with distribution to be determined later. A memorial fund will be created by the family to establish the Steady Ed 001 memorabilia museum.

In an interview with the Sentinel last October, “Steady” Ed Headrick, well-known for his sense of humor, said, “I felt the Frisbee had some kind of a spirit involved. It’s not just like playing catch with a ball. It’s the beautiful flight.”

“We used to say that Frisbee is really a religion — ‘Frisbyterians,’ we’d call ourselves,” he said. “When we die, we don’t go to purgatory. We just land up on the roof and lay there.”

Headrick, who had high blood pressure, had suffered two strokes while attending the Professional Disc Golf Association Amateur World Championships in Miami last month. The strokes left him paralyzed on his left side and weak on the right. Still, he had remained in high spirits — even signing autographs on Frisbees from his bed at a Miami hospital.

He returned home to California Aug. 6 after doctors determined that physical therapy would not aid his recovery and that his condition would continue to deteriorate.

On Saturday, friends and family held an open house. Several longtime friends visited with Headrick throughout the daylong celebration of his life, according to his youngest son, Gary Headrick.

“We had a really nice party for him on Saturday and he was conscious, with eyes and ears open,” Gary Headrick said. “He continued to decline (on Sunday), but remained comfortable. And he had all of us around him ... when he passed on (early Monday.)”

Steady Ed Headrick was born in South Pasadena on June 28, 1924. He had lived in Santa Cruz County for the past nine years.

Headrick invented the Frisbee while working at San Gabriel-based Wham-O in 1964. In the 1970s, he created the sport of disc golf, which involves throwing a Frisbee at a metal cage. Headrick had donated disc golf equipment to a number of recreational programs for under-privileged youth nationwide.

He is survived by his wife, Farina Headrick of La Selva Beach; one daughter, Valerie Headrick of Quincy; three sons, Ken Headrick of San Juan-San Ramon, Costa Rica, Daniel Headrick of Laguna Beach and Gary Headrick of San Clemente; and 11 grandchildren.

Disc golf fans also plan to approach the City of Santa Cruz about the possibility of dedicating a portion of an area park in memory of Steady Ed Headrick, according to Gary Headrick.

• For information, visit www.discgolfassoc.com or write the Disc Golf Association, 16 Maher Road, Watsonville, CA 95076.

BORN: June 28, 1924, in South Pasadena. California

DIED: Aug. 12, 2002, in La Selva Beach. California

OCCUPATION: Handsome and humble, inventor, entrepreneur.