Teresa Heinz – Family, Family Tree

Teresa Heinz Kerry is one of the strongest, bravest and most influential politician wives in the world. She had to face great tragedy during her lifetime- the likes of which most can’t imagine. At the age of fifty-two, she lost her husband Senator John Heinz due to a helicopter crash in Pennsylvania. She is currently undergoing treatment for breast cancer.

Teresa played many roles, that of a widow of a former American Senator, the current wife of a former presidential nominee, a UN translator and a very generous and hardworking philanthropist.

Teresa Heinz Family Profile

Heinz’s Parents – Jose Ferreira and Irene Thierstein

Teresa’s father Dr. José Simões Ferreira, Jr. was an expert on tropical diseases and an oncologist. Her mother, Irene Thierstein was the daughter of a British citizen from Malta, Alberto Thierstein and a woman born in Alexandria, Maria Burló. Her mother was of French, Swiss, Italian and German descents.