Louise Heyneman

1932 - 2023

Louise Heyneman
March 29, 1932 - May 31, 2023
Louise Davidson Heyneman died peacefully on May 31, 2023 at age 91 in Novato, CA after a long battle with a breathing illness.
The youngest of 6, Louise was born March 29, 1932 to Alice (nee Hooker) and Sidney Davidson, a founding partner of the NY law firm, Davidson, Dawson and Clark.
The close-knit family lived in a double brownstone on Remsen Street in Brooklyn Heights across the street from her unusual grandparents, both chemists, Mary (nee Owens) from Cincinnati, and Samuel Hooker, PhD, from England. Hooker retired early to create magical illusions, the most famous of which, "Hooker's Rising Cards," was performed for Houdini and other magicians on an intimate stage designed for the backyard carriage house.
The two households instilled Louise's formal etiquette on the one hand, and her imagination on the other. A natural musician, she first played the violin then later the piano. A skilled competitor in games of all kinds, she completed the NY Times crossword puzzle daily in pen until her last week.
Louise attended Packer Collegiate Institute, then Milton Academy for boarding school. As a junior she traveled one summer with The Experiment in International Living to Beaune, France, where she stayed with a family and gained a love of diverse cultures.
After she earned her degree in economics at Vassar in 1954, Louise moved to Boston to work as a nurse's assistant. The healthcare industry became a lifelong calling.
In 1955 she married John Herbert Ross, a gregarious sailor and former attorney turned woodworking teacher from Cambridge, Mass. They moved to the North Shore, where they had their daughter, Edie. Louise joined the Junior League, the College Club, and was an enthusiastic supporter of John's at the Harvard Traveler's Club. Then they moved to San Francisco for John's work where they had their son, Caleb.
After her marriage ended in 1962, Louise made her way back into the health field, first as a medical editor at UCSF, then as the Executive Director at the Visiting Nurse Association of SF. She also co-founded The Hospice of Marin, was active in the Unitarian Universalist Society, the Junior League, and notably supported the Joseph Campbell Film Restoration Project at The Jung Institute where she served on the board for many years.
Louise's pride and joy was her spacious home in the Richmond District, a gift from her father when she was a single mother. She is fondly remembered for playing the giddy Chopin "Minute" piano waltz, needlepointing with daughters and granddaughters, and being flattered when walkers in the neighborhood complimented her on the cheerful front garden. Her warm welcome and personalized driving tours of her top Golden Gate vistas, shops, and landmarks were appreciated by all who visited or moved to the area. Nieces and nephews valued her close mentoring at pivotal stages.
In 1971 Louise married Donald Heyneman, PhD, Professor of Parasitology at UCSF, and added his 5 children from previous marriages to her 2. She entertained grandly, loved to cook, and made countless chocolate fanatics with her homemade hot fudge sauce drizzled over ice cream. She and Don traveled together extensively in Africa, joined The Explorer's Club, patronized both the SF Symphony and the SF Opera, and became grateful and committed donors to the California Academy of Sciences.
Louise was drawn to the prints of colorblind artist Peter Milton, who rendered the liminal relationship between the past and present, often against a Victorian backdrop which evoked her childhood. The collection was donated to Stanford University.
Louise was predeceased by her husband of 51 years and her siblings. She is survived by her 2 children, Edith Parker (Robert) and Caleb Ross, her stepchildren, Amy Jo Heyneman, PhD (Bernard Hallet, PhD), Lucy Arnold (Michael, PhD), Jennifer Sousae (William), Andrew Heyneman (since deceased), Claudia Wells, 12 grandchildren, 9 great grandchildren, and numerous in-laws, cousins, nieces and nephews.
Her family is honoring her privately. Please consider directing any memorial donations to The Cantor Arts Center at Stanford.