Douglas Whitmer Hershey, April 16, 1942 – July 18, 2026
Douglas Whitmer Hershey of Sacramento, formerly of Aspen and the University of Colorado faculty, died July 18, 2026.
The Villager ·
Douglas Whitmer Hershey of Sacramento, California passed away on July 18, 2026 in his home watching the American River and surrounded by family, after a long battle with Alzheimer disease. He was born on April 16, 1942, in Lebanon, Pennsylvania to Doris West McLaughlin (Hershey) and Harold Whitmer Hershey. He was raised in Hershey, Pennsylvania and graduated from the Hill School. He graduated from Yale University with a major in philosophy. Thereafter, he attended the Cornell University School of Medicine. After receiving his M.D. degree, he did an internship at the Kaiser Hospital in San Francisco and a residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Doug lived in Salvador, Brazil for six months during his Ob/gyn residency studying human reproduction with the internationally renowned scientist Dr. Elsimar Coutinho, and learning Brazilian Portuguese. After practicing general OB/Gyn in Aspen, Colorado for several years, he did a fellowship in Prenatal Diagnosis at the UCLA School of Medicine as major developments in prenatal diagnosis and fetal ultrasound were emerging, and molecular DNA testing was developing. He became triple board-certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology (American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology), and both Clinical Genetics and Cytogenetics (American Board of Medical Genetics) – an uncommon accomplishment. He was on the faculty of the University of Colorado in the mid-1980s – a brief stint in academic medicine, despite superb qualifications. He practiced prenatal diagnosis in Sacramento for decades serving thousands of pregnant women with up-to-date knowledge, testing and genetic counseling. He was affiliated with Sutter Hospital and the University of California, Davis. He was an enthusiastic and skilled skier, mountain climber and bicyclist – interests that he passed to his sons. He summited many mountains in Colorado, California, Alaska (Denali) and Nepal. He was a music enthusiast. He never stopped being active, frequently playing golf as a long-time member of the Del Paso Country Club. He will be remembered for his gentle spirit, his keen sense of humor, his insatiable love of chocolate and his fanatical devotion to the Sacramento Kings. He was a loving father and a caring husband. His ashes will be spread in the American River and on an Aspen mountain, and buried in the Hershey Cemetery in Pennsylvania, next to his parents and grandparents.
Doug was predeceased by his parents. He is survived by his wife, Jane Bronwyn Bateman, M.D.; his twin sons, Rhys (Kyndall) and Walker (Kaitlyn) Hershey; his grandchildren Emery and Everett Hershey; his sister, Suzanne Hershey; his niece Courtney Bress; and nephew Harley Bress.
Print source: The Villager, Vol. 44 No. 42, Sept. 10, 2026, page 11. Issuu edition.