Donald Lee Heywood, 85, of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, formerly of Charleston, West Virginia, passed away Thursday, October 4, 2012. Don was born on October 2, 1927 to Lee Elmer and Marjorie Allen Heywood in New Haven, Connecticut. Upon graduating from New Haven High School in 1945, he served honorably in the U.S. Navy before attending Yale University. He graduated from Yale in 1950 with a B.S. in chemistry, and then continued at Yale to earn his Ph.D. in chemistry with a focus in organic chemistry and biochemistry.

Donald commenced an industrial chemistry career at the Research Department of Union Carbide Corp. in South Charleston, West Virginia on November 4, 1953, on which day he met Jacqueline Ann Monday. They married on February 25, 1955 and shared 57 years of marriage, having two children and moving from Charleston to California and Connecticut in support of his career with Union Carbide. Donald retired from Union Carbide in 1989 after a rewarding 36-year career, during which he was a pioneer in the development of environmentally safe pesticides and ultimately became Union Carbide’s corporate expert for compliance with the growing body of environmental regulations. He is the holder of many patents, contributed to many technical publications, and was a member of the American Chemical Society, Sigma Xi, a scientific research society, and Alpha Chi Sigma, a professional chemistry fraternity. After his retirement from Union Carbide, he moved to Washington, D.C. where he developed a technology services group to provide chemical and audit support as part of the law firm of McKenna, Connor and Cuneo. In 1992, Don and Jackie moved to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where he continued to work as an independent consultant in the environmental compliance field until 2000.

His love of nature, the earth, his church and his family and friends showed in his career and his volunteer activities. He served as Treasurer at University Presbyterian Church in Chapel Hill for many years after his retirement, volunteered at the University of North Carolina hospitals and was active in golf, bridge, writing groups and a conversation group. His great intellect and curiosity led him to continually seek new ideas and to write many poems, some of which were published, and stories as well as insightful letters to his family and friends. His love of life and intellectual curiosity, and delightful sense of humor will be missed by those who knew him.

In addition to his parents, Donald was preceded in death by his sister, Doris Stewart, his brother, Robert Lee Heywood and his niece, Susan Elkins Cupit. Left to cherish his memory are his beloved wife of 57 years, Jacqueline Monday Heywood; his children, Thomas Allen Heywood and wife Melody Ann Simpson of Charleston, and Julie Heywood Edwards and husband Clay Eugene Edwards of Houston; his sisters-in law Sue Elkins of Dunbar, West Virginia and Barbara Smith of Lebanon, Tennessee; his brother-in-law Donald Stewart of Bellvue, Washington; six grandchildren and eight nieces and nephews and their families; and many other family members and friends.

In Charleston, friends are cordially invited to a visitation with the family on Saturday, October 6 from 10:00 am to noon at Cunningham Parker Johnson Funeral Home, 1325 Washington Street West, Charleston, West Virginia. The graveside funeral service and burial with full military honors accorded by American Legion Post #61, Clendenin, will be conducted at Emma Chapel Cemetery, Route 34, Liberty, West Virginia, at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday afternoon. A memorial service will also be held at the University Presbyterian Church, 209 East Franklin Street, Chapel Hill, North Carolina at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, October 13, 2012.

In lieu of customary remembrances, the family requests with gratitude that memorial contributions in Donald’s name may be directed to the University Presbyterian Church, 209 East Franklin Street, P.O. Box 509, Chapel Hill, NC 27514 or to Carolina Meadows Employee Fund, Carolina Meadows, 100 Carolina Meadows, Chapel Hill, NC 27517.

The family will receive online condolences at www.cpj funerahome.com.

Cunningham-Parker-Johnson Funeral Home is serving the Heywood family.