William Howard Heydorn

Bill Heydorn passed away peacefully on January 30, 2025, full of gratitude for his family, the opportunities he had in life, and the gift of becoming a nonagenarian.

Bill was born in Schenectady, New York, on February 10, 1934, to the Rev. William A. and Lucille Heydorn, growing up in both Kinderhook and Pleasantville, NY. He attended Hope College in Holland, Michigan, where his co-curricular activities included the Cosmopolitan fraternity and football. Bill served as co-captain of the football team his junior and senior year, won first team all-conference honors twice, and helped lead the team to one MIAA championship. At Hope, Bill met Joan Kilian, who became his wife and with whom he had three children, Barbara (David Button) Heydorn, Kathryn (Peter McIntosh) Winkler, and William A. (Heather) Heydorn. Joan preceded him in death. He is survived by his children, sister Lucille (Ken) Digges, grandchildren Mattie Winkler, Brigitte Winkler, and Ashley Heydorn, and several nieces and nephews.

While offered the opportunity to play football with the former AFL Chicago Cardinals, Bill instead completed an M.D. degree at Yale University Medical School. Following an internship at Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital in Cooperstown, N.Y., he entered active duty in the Army in 1960, where he was active in both clinical and academic aspects of military medicine. Bill served as a physician in the U.S. Army for nearly 30 years before retiring as a colonel in 1989.

During his military career, Bill served two tours in Germany, the second as chief of surgery at the 5th General Hospital in Stuttgart. He was also the commanding officer of the 44th Surgical Hospital and the 11th Evacuation Hospital, both in Korea. In 1975, following three years on the thoracic surgery staff at Fitzsimons Army Medical Center in Denver, Colorado, he joined the Department of Surgery at Letterman Army Medical Center, a teaching hospital, at the Presidio of San Francisco, California. He became chief of the department in 1978, and commanding officer in 1987. He also performed research at the Letterman Army Institute of Research, where he helped develop cardiovascular valves and stents still used in thoracic surgery today. He considered this work as his contributions back to society and medicine.

Bill received multiple decorations during his time in the U.S. Army, including the Meritorious Service Medal and the Legion of Merit. After retiring from the Army, Bill served as a field representative for the AMA Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education; associate medical director for a California peer-review organization; medical director of health care review with Brookside Hospital; and director of Continuing Medical Education for INR/BioMed Inc. He also served as a Clinical Professor of Surgery at the University of California, San Francisco, and the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences. After retiring from surgery, Bill became a surveyor with Joint Commission International. This position provided him the opportunity to travel worldwide to assess and help establish compliance standards at hospitals and medical facilities. In 2011, Bill received the Hope College Distinguished Alumni Award, the highest honor the college bestows to alumni.

Bill authored or co-authored over 30 articles in medical journals, co-authored a medical textbook and authored chapters in two medical texts. He was certified by the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Thoracic Surgery; a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the American College of Physician Executives; and a certified Physician Executive. After retiring, he wrote and published “Geronimo: The Rest of the Story,” a book chronicling his grandfather’s experience as part of a missionary quartet sent to “sing the Gospel” to settlers in the new towns forming along rail lines in the Territory of Oklahoma. In addition to writing, Bill enjoyed playing tennis and swimming daily at the Tiburon Peninsula Club. He was also a member of the Bohemian Club, the Commonwealth Club, the Explorers Club, and stayed active in multiple other societies and associations.

A memorial service will be held on Friday, February 28, at 2 p.m. in St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 3 Bayview Ave., Belvedere. In addition, the service will be live-streamed on the St. Stephen’s YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@StStephensBelvedere. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Hope College, New Brunswick Seminary, St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, Yale University Medical School, or the charity of your choice.