Doris Heisig Terwilliger

DORIS HEISIG TERWILLIGER
May 27, 1925 - August 17, 2025
Doris Heisig Terwilliger, age 100, died Sunday, August 17, in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Doris was born on May 27, 1925, in Minneapolis, MN, the daughter of Gladstone B. Heisig and Lucile K. Heisig. She and her older brother, Charles, enjoyed summers at the family cabin at Woman Lake.
She was an exceptional student and graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Chemistry from the University of Minnesota in 1945. She was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Alpha Omicron Pi. Doris worked as a chemist at Allied Chemical and Dye in Morristown, NJ, from 1945 to 1947, and as a research assistant at the Radiation Laboratory in Berkeley, CA, from 1949 to 1952. She earned an M.S. in Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1949.
On December 19, 1951, Doris married Kent M. Terwilliger. The couple moved to Ann Arbor, MI, in 1952, where Kent became an internationally known leader in particle physics as a member of the University of Michigan Department of Physics. Doris was a research assistant in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Michigan from 1952 to 1953.
Doris and Kent had four sons: Steven, Paul, Tom, and John. She enjoyed the life of homemaking and gardening and was active in the League of Women Voters and the Unitarian Church.
Later, Doris returned to the workforce, serving as a research assistant in the Department of Dental Hygiene at the University of Michigan from 1972 to 1978, and as a technical writer at Comshare, Inc. from 1978 to 1980. She earned a Master of Library Science from the University of Michigan in 1982 and worked as a librarian at Chi Systems, Inc. from 1982 to 1993.
In retirement, Doris was a member of the Ann Arbor Women's City Club and the Ann Arbor Women Painters. She enjoyed canoeing and cross-country skiing, volunteering, reading, and watercolor painting. She excelled at bridge and became a Life Master in duplicate bridge. She loved music and played the guitar and recorder.
After her husband's death, William C. Parkinson became her very special friend until his death in 2012. That same year, Doris moved into The Meadows at Glacier Hills Retirement Center. She celebrated her 100th birthday in 2025 with three generations of her family.
Doris is survived by her sons: Steven (spouse: Jane Terwilliger) of Ypsilanti, MI, Paul of Madison, WI, Tom (Toby Gass) of Santa Fe, NM, John (Sarah Hansen) of Ely, MN. She is also survived by six grandchildren: Nathan (Becky Cavnar) of Haslett, MI, Neil (Erika Hoyos-Ramirez) of Cheshire, CT, Nicole Castellano (Christopher Castellano) of Columbia, MD, Mara (Greg Wehrung) of Strongsville, OH, Samuel Terwilliger of New York, NY, Emma Terwilliger of Steamboat Springs, CO. And by twelve great-grandchildren: Alder, Kent, Felix, and Jesse Terwilliger of Haslett, MI, Kai and Mateo of Cheshire, CT, Fulton, Madeline, Anastasia, and Claire Wehrung of Strongsville, OH, Gianna and Gemma Castellano of Columbia, MD.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be sent to the Glacier Hills Foundation.