CATHERINE HEAPS

CATHERINE HEAPS (née Ballantyne)  
Master gardener, collector, lover of Siamese cats, and a resident of McLean, VA for over 30 years, Catherine passed away in Los Angeles, CA on June 13, 2017 where she had travelled seeking treatment in an ongoing struggle against a rare and relentless cancer called leiomyosarcoma. Born in Tucson, AZ on May 7, 1947 Catherine spent most of her childhood in Houston, Texas. Entering the University of Texas in 1965 she was discouraged by the architecture department that suggested she would be 'taking the place of a man in the school when she would probably just retire from the field after a short career and have children.' Upon graduation with a degree in interior design she joined the prestigious San Antonio architecture firm of Ford, Powell, and Carson. Marriage and her career took her to Madison, Wisconsin for four years and then to the Washington, DC area. Working for D. Green and Associates in DC she was trained in the art of space planning which would be the basis of her subsequent career. In 1981 she formed her own company, Ballantyne Design Associates in McLean. The firm was active in the Virginia-DC metro area for roughly 20 years. Clients in the Tysons Corner area included Honeywell and Arthur Anderson. In 2001 she joined the Alexandria office of the New York architecture firm Gruzen Samton. Clients during this stint included the Office of the DC Mayor in the Wilson Building, the Department of Education, The DC Courts and NIH in Bethesda. She retired in 2007.She is survived by her husband of 47 years William Heaps of Baltimore and children--William and Jaime Heaps of Larkspur, CA plus their children Josie and Will--Travis Heaps and Casey Spicer of Los Angeles--Maggie and Ben Lauffer of San Rafael, CA. In retirement Catherine volunteered for the Cylburn Arboretum and the Women's Housing Coalition both in Baltimore. Contributions to the Housing Coalition (womenshousing.org) in Catherine's memory would be well spent. A small memorial gathering is scheduled for 4 p.m. Saturday, July 15, 2017 at the home in Baltimore, MD.