Terring W. Heironimus III, MD

Class Year

1955

Affiliation

Alumni

Posted on: August 26, 2024

Dr. Terring Whitfield Heironimus III of Morgantown, formerly of Grafton, passed away Thursday, August 1, 2024 at Sundale Nursing Home with family by his side. He was born on May 12, 1929 in Charlottesville, VA, son of the late Dr. Tarring Whitfield Heironimus II and Rosalyn Fleming Heironimus. He is survived by his wife Mary Elizabeth Orris Heironimus. They were married on July 6, 1956, spending more than 68 years together.

Dr. Heironimus graduated valedictorian from Grafton High School, Class of 1947, received his B.A. in Pre-Med from WVU in 1951 where he was in the WVU Marching Band. He earned his MD from the University of Virginia in 1955. He was a medical intern in 1956 at the University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences Center. He served in the U.S. Army as a medical officer where he was assigned to the Quartermasters Depot in Drexell Hill, Philadelphia, PA and was discharged in 1965 with the rank of major. He completed his residency in anesthesiology from 1959-1961 at the University of Virginia. Dr. Heironimus received his American Board of Anesthesiology Certification in 1964. He went on to work at the University of Virginia where he was an instructor, assistant professor, associate professor and later professor of anesthesiology. During this time, he served as the medical director of the Post Anesthesia Recovery Unit and the Intensive Care Unit. He founded the Respiratory Therapy Training Program at Piedmont Virginia Community College in Charlottesville, VA in 1978. He moved to Morgantown, WV to continue his career in these capacities at West Virginia University for another 10 years. Over the years he was a fellow of the American College of Anesthesiologists and the American College of Chest Physicians. He served as a consultant in anesthesiology for the U.S. Navy Surgeon General at the Regional Naval Medical Centers in both Portsmouth, VA and Bethesda, MD. Dr. Heironimus was a member of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, the National Association of Medical Directors of Respiratory Care, the New York Academy of Sciences, and the Society of Critical Care Medicine.

He was a member of First Presbyterian Church in Morgantown and was active with the Boy Scouts of America as an adult leader. He was co-author with Dr. Robert Bageant of Mechanical Artificial Ventilation. He was the 1974 recipient of the Robley Dunglison Award for Outstanding Teaching as presented by the graduating class of the University of Virginia Medical School. He enjoyed antique cars and airplanes and was a big band enthusiast.

In addition to his wife, Dr. Heironimus is survived by two sons, Paul Heironimus (Leslie) of Morgantown, Glenn Heironimus (Kelly) of San Antonio, TX, one daughter Chung Ja Brown (Douglas) of Scott Depot; four grandchildren, Sean (Alli), Roland (Olivia), Amanda and Jaret; six great grandchildren: Draven, Lucy, August, Miles, Ryan and Jake.