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Amy Katherine Heil ’92

January 13, 2021, in Mosier, Oregon.

Known as Amy Kat by her family, Amy was the fifth and youngest child born to  F. Charles W. Heil ’60 and Patricia Willard Heil ’58 in Portland. She was raised in southwest Portland, where she attended West Hills Christian School and Wilson High School (now Ida B. Wells High School). A bright and creative student, she sang in the choir and wrote for the school newspaper. If all her stories were to be believed, she must have had 40-hour days.

She studied political philosophy at Bard College and at Reed before joining the U.S. Air Force in 1991, and completed her bachelor’s degree at William Carey College while on active duty.

An eight-year career as a medical technician took Amy to bases in Texas, Mississippi, Japan, and California. Taking every opportunity to excel and exceeding every limit placed before her, she was deployed to the Persian Gulf and to the Balkans. Upon leaving the air force, she returned to Portland, where she met and married Justin Williams. Their daughter, Brooklyn, was Amy’s pride and joy. In 2005, the family moved to Hood River, Oregon, where Amy and Justin opened a successful restaurant, Sushi Okalani.

In 2013, she married John Worsley ’92, and later that year the new family moved to Mosier so Brooklyn could attend Mosier Community School. Amy supported the charter school enthusiastically, filling their home with art purchased at benefit auctions. She was also the creative force behind two short films she made with John, Mayhem in Mosier (2014) and All Our Sins Remembered (2016), which won Best Adaptation at the 2016 Columbia Gorge International Film Festival.

As a Quaker, Amy worked passionately for peace, volunteering virtually for the Friends Committee on National Legislation as well as Veterans for Peace. She attended rallies, protests, and marches and wrote a number of opinion pieces for the Hood River News promoting peace and understanding.

Amy had a playful sense of humor and almost invariably charmed those who met her. She enjoyed telling stories, loved fostering rescue dogs, and was proud of being a “softie” who cried at car commercials. She passed away unexpectedly on January 13, 2021, with her husband John at her side. She is survived by John; her daughter, Brooklyn Williams; her daughter in spirit, Alison Dye; her father, Chuck Heil; her four siblings, including Benjamin Heil ’84; and Justin Williams. Amy was a devoted pet mom to three Welsh corgis, Myra, Meatloaf, and Merlin.

Appeared in Reed magazine: June 2021