Jazzy Terwilliger

On March 1st, 2025, Jazzy Terwilliger of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania went to be with the Lord after a brave battle with cancer. Jazzy joins her parents, Ronald Irwin Terwilliger and Marian Logue VanWinkle Terwilliger, who predeceased her, and leaves behind her beloved partner of 13 years, Sharon Yochum. She also leaves behind 4 children, Daniel Terwilliger (spouse Luzia Lopes Bojart), of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada; Paul Terwilliger (spouse Simcha Terwilliger), of Newport News, Virginia; Jasmine Fairfax (spouse Jonathan Fairfax), of Louisville, Kentucky; and Zoe Solis (spouse Tomas Gutierrez Solis), of Louisville, Kentucky. Additionally, she leaves behind seven grandchildren whom she cherished dearly, named Oliver, Aria, Ari, Zev, Luka, Vincent, and Mia. 

Jazzy was born on February 16th, 1968, in Santiago, Chile, where her father was headmaster of an American school. There she obtained a love for Latin American culture. At two years old she moved to the states, where she grew up in the Amish Country in Pennsylvania. She then attended college in Cambridge, MA, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Physics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Master’s in Physics from UCLA. She was gifted in math, physics, and languages, and worked at MIT, Carnegie Mellon, and James Madison University as a STEM Instructor throughout her career. She was also a talented lifelong musician who shared her stories with audiences through piano, guitar, and voice, spending the later part of her life performing in the arts community in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 

She will always be remembered for her contagious positive energy, her uncanny problem-solving ability, her compassion for the downtrodden, and her love for her community. A music night honoring Jazzy will take place on March 8th at 4pm at Antonio’s Pizza in Pittsburgh, PA. A celebration of life will follow in Louisville, KY on May 25th, 2025. 

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