Catherine Cameron

1949 - 2026

Catherine Cameron, whose life was marked by curiosity about the wider world, a commitment to public service, and a deep devotion to friendship, died unexpectedly on March 13, 2026, in Washington, D.C. She was 77.

Born in Montgomery, Ala., in 1949, she was the granddaughter of Gen. Joseph "Vinegar Joe" Stilwell and the daughter of Alison Stilwell Cameron, a calligrapher and Chinese watercolor artist, and Col. William Cameron, who flew B-24 bombers in World War II. Raised in a military family, she attended schools in Ohio, Guam, Hawaii and Quito, Ecuador. She earned a joint degree in religion studies and anthropology from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a master of public health from the University of North Carolina.

Catherine devoted her career to improving the health of women around the world. She worked with the U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA) in Dhaka, Bangladesh and in Beijing after mastering Mandarin. After her work in Asia, she joined Population Action International (PAI) in Washington, D.C. At PAI, she rose to senior roles focused on women's reproductive rights and social justice. Working alongside Dr. Sharon Camp, she helped fund and promote what became Plan B, the emergency contraceptive approved by the F.D.A. in 1999.

She also helped guide the Wallace family's philanthropic work, which grew into the Wallace Global Fund, serving as its inaugural executive director from 1995 to 2005. She later served on the board of the Health Access Fund and mentored younger women in global family planning leadership.

In her later years, she treasured her wide circle of friends and took quiet pleasure in watching a family of eagles that nested near her window.

She was predeceased by her parents William and Alison Cameron, her brother Bruce Cameron and her sister, Laurie Cameron DeSimone. She is survived by two nieces, Elisabeth DeSimone and Sarah DeSimone Hawkins, Sarah's husband Isaiah, and their children, Emerson, Averie, and Georgia.

She will be remembered for her intelligence, grace and warmth, and her lifelong commitment to public health and the well-being of others. In lieu of a formal memorial, she asked that friends raise a glass of champagne in her memory.

Those wishing to honor her memory may support causes she championed: Indivisible, Democracy Forward, or the American Civil Liberties Union.