Gwendolin Anna Maria Holzner Hill

Gwendolin Anna Maria Holzner Hill, PhD, born on June 15, 1978 in Neumarkt, Germany, passed away too early on December 4, 2025. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, James Douglas “Doug” Hill. Gwen is survived by her parents, Elfriede Holzner and Franz Holzner, who reside in Pyrbaum, Germany.

Gwen grew up in Germany. She graduated from high school in 1998 in Neumarkt and then studied psychology in Regensburg and Erlangen, successfully completing her studies in 2006 with a diploma in psychology. Following this, she received a dissertation assignment from the BMW board at the Wackersdorf plant in Germany. Her path then led her to the United States where she met her future husband, Doug. She lived and worked with him in several locations in the U.S. Shortly before her unexpected and sudden death, she and her parents were delighted about a new work assignment.

Gwen’s love of life and care for others radiated throughout all her activities and friendships. Her professional role as a PhD psychologist for industrial human factors, spanned the arenas from auto manufacturing to international nuclear plant control room design. Despite these rare professional roles, she was down to earth working with her team as an advocate for the operators and mechanics using the control panels she evaluated, and collaborating with each team member developing and testing the designs they developed. Family was very important to Gwen, and she often talked about her parents, her mother’s store, her father’s role with law enforcement in Germany, and her German heritage with love and pride. They were always on her heart. Gwen was a wonderful and caring friend and is missed by so many.