Douglas Cragun Heiner

July 27, 1925 - September 19, 2018

Dr. Douglas Cragun Heiner, 93, passed away peacefully on September 19, 2018, of natural causes at home in Alpine, Utah. He was born July 27, 1925 in Salt Lake City, Utah, the third of four children to Spencer and Eva Lillian Cragun Heiner. Doug is survived by his sister, Carol Juchau, and preceded in death by his brother, Spencer Heiner, and his sister, Helen Mathison. He is also preceded in death by his wife, Joy Luana Wiest, whom he married on January 8, 1946, in the LDS Salt Lake temple. Together they had and are survived by nine children: Susan (Gilbert) Fuller, Craig (Debby) Heiner, Joe (Kathy) Heiner, Marianne (Kerry) Hopkin, Jim (Ranae) Heiner, Dave (Karen) Heiner, Drew (Monique) Heiner, Carolee (Doug) Romney, and Pauli Michaels. They have 42 grandchildren; 75 great-grandchildren; and 2 great-great-grandchildren. Shortly before graduating from South High School in 1943, Doug met Joy while playing tennis on the high school courts. Her smile caught his attention and he determined then that he wanted to ask her out. Their first date was to hike Mt. Olympus. Doug and Joy graduated high school together and were co-valedictorian speakers at graduation. They enjoyed a few more dates and became each other’s first serious sweetheart before Doug entered the Naval V-12 program, where he attended the University of Idaho in Pocatello for two years. Doug and Joy wrote to each other weekly and got together one weekend every other month before becoming engaged in May of 1945. After their wedding, Doug and Joy moved to Philadelphia, where Doug attended the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Joy gave birth to their first two children (Susan and Craig) before Doug graduated in 1950. He joined the Army Reserves in 1951, and after a one-year internship at the University of Pennsylvania hospital, he was ordered to report for active duty at the U.S. Army Hospital in Aberdeen, Maryland, where their third child (Joe) was born. From there, Doug was ordered to report to EUSAK (Expeditionary U.S. Army, Korea) Headquarters in Seoul, Korea, in 1952. He flew overseas while Joy and their three children stayed in Salt Lake City with her mother. Describing his service during the Korean War, Doug wrote that it was “an exciting challenge which led to many interesting experiences and the opportunity to make good friends... I felt very fortunate to have been sent to Korea as a preventive medicine officer, and to have had the good experiences which seemed to come my way. The only downside was being away from my wife and children for fifteen months.” Doug began pediatric specialty training in 1953 at the Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts, where their fourth child (Marianne) was born. Their fifth and sixth children (Jim and Dave) were born during the few years that followed. In 1956, Doug moved his family to Little Rock, Arkansas, where he began his first full-time faculty job at the University of Arkansas hospital. As assistant professor of pediatrics and chief of pediatric cardiology, Doug established a research program in immunology and started a clinical and diagnostic program in cardiology. His passion for medical research was growing. In 1960, Doug accepted a position at the University of Utah to be in charge of pediatric cardiology. He was soon given the rank of associate professor and found himself directing an immunologic research laboratory, establishing a gastroenterology clinic, and starting up an allergy clinic—in addition to running his cardiac clinic. Doug and Joy were happy to move close to family again in Salt Lake City, where their seventh, eighth, and ninth children (Drew, Carolee, and Pauli) were born. While in Utah, Doug “enjoyed clinical cardiology…but found a greater challenge in immunology. It was a new, exciting and largely uncharted field.” To further his education, Doug applied for and obtained a scholarship to study immunochemistry at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. In 1969, he and Joy moved with their eight youngest children to Beaconsfield, a suburb of Montreal. His experience there “gave me a good chance to learn new immunologic techniques and I believe I was the first to show that IgD could have antibody activity… It was a period of exceptional productivity for me, a time unencumbered by clinical responsibilities.” After obtaining his PhD in 1969, Doug accepted an offer at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) to receive an appointment as full professor of pediatrics. He moved his family to Rancho Palos Verdes and quickly set up an immunologic research laboratory at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. His time was roughly divided into 50% research, 30% teaching and administrative duties, and 20% patient care. Doug enjoyed training pediatricians, graduate students, visiting professors, medical students, and residents. Many of these trainees were from foreign countries and later returned to their homeland, where they invited Doug to present his research at their medical schools. He enjoyed taking Joy along with him as he traveled around the world. Doug’s and Joy’s travels included a year (1978-1979) in Switzerland, where Doug took a sabbatical leave as guest professor at the University of Bern. While there, he taught procedures he had previously developed, and observed new techniques in the laboratory at the Institute for Clinical and Research Immunology. Doug and Joy enjoyed many day trips exploring the country, taking rail rides high in the Alps, hiking through small villages, and cross-country skiing through snow-covered fields. Ten years later, Doug took a sabbatical leave-in-residence at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, as a faculty research associate in molecular biology. In 1994, Doug retired from his career and he and Joy moved to Provo, Utah, where they could be closer to many of their children and extended family. While there, Doug volunteered his knowledge and expertise at a local allergy clinic. Doug and Joy served a medical mission (1997-1999) in Moscow, Russia, where Joy assisted Doug as he oversaw the health of the missionaries. Upon returning home to Utah, he wrote, compiled, and published two books, each with photographs he took. One book detailed his experience serving in Korea; the other described his and Joy’s association with the missionaries, medical personnel, and others they met while in Russia. Doug and Joy served a second mission in Nauvoo, Illinois, where their work included Doug’s research and publication on illnesses and causes of death among the Nauvoo saints. When they were ready to downsize, Doug and Joy moved to a senior living community in Alpine. After Joy passed away in 2013, Doug lived his last four years with his beloved daughter in law, Kathy Heiner, and her husband, Joe, in their home in Alpine, where he enjoyed exceptional care, delicious food, and a beautiful view of the mountains. Over the course of his life, Doug faithfully served in the LDS church as an assistant scout master, in the bishopric, and on the stake high council. In addition to their full-time missions in Russia and Nauvoo, he and Joy enjoyed serving as ordinance workers in the Provo Temple and volunteered at the Provo Missionary Training Center. Doug had many passions. He enjoyed playing tennis through his 93rd year. He loved gardening; he planted and cared for dozens upon dozens of fruit trees and vines, vegetables, and flowers. He relished harvesting, partaking of, and sharing his bounty with friends and neighbors. He appreciated the beauty and awe of nature, and sought solace, inspiration, and renewal in the great outdoors. He loved being in the mountains, hiking, camping, fishing, and enjoying breathtaking scenery; he shared these passions with his wife and children on yearly family vacations and took pride in capturing these memories on camera. Doug was a pioneer in the field of immunologic research, expanding the horizons of science for the good of mankind. He would agree that what he accomplished would not have been possible without the admiration and loving support of his wife Joy. He loved her above all and was loyal to her throughout his life. He was a supportive father and example of hard work, good values, and helping others. He valued education and funded endowed scholarships at several universities. His colleagues admired and respected him. Doug left a legacy of striving to make the world a better place. The impact he made on family, associates, and those he never met will carry on. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, Sept. 29, 2018, at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building Chapel, 15 East South Temple, Salt Lake City, UT. Friends may call from 9:30-10:45 a.m. prior to services. Interment, Salt Lake City Cemetery. Condolences may be expressed at www.bergmortuary.com.