Jill Viles

Jill E. Viles (Dopf) passed peacefully at home in Gowrie, Iowa on June 12, 2025, surrounded by her husband, their son, and her mother.

Visitation will be at Laufersweiler Palmer & Sons Funeral Home in Gowrie on Saturday, June 28th from 2-5pm. A celebration of life service will be held at Gowrie United Methodist Church on Sunday, June 29th at 2pm.

Jill is survived by her husband of twenty years - Jeremy Viles, their son Martin Viles, and many relatives in Des Moines: Mother, Mary Dopf; sister, Janet Albanese (Patrick); brother, Robert Dopf; sister, Elizabeth Brand; as well as cousins, nieces, and nephews.

She was preceded by her father Robert Dopf and brother Aaron Dopf.

Born November 10th, 1974 in Des Moines to Robert Charles Dopf and Mary Sue Crain - Jill was the first of five children. Her childhood was filled with love and laughter and the antics of the siblings who loved to play with Cabbage Patch kids and pretend to be adults living in the "Dopf Apts." Her best friend since kindergarten - Suzy Robinett (Schneckloth) - was usually by her side. They were confirmed together at Windsor Heights Lutheran Church and she remained a dedicated Christian throughout her life.

Jill pursued a Bachelor's degree at Drake and Iowa State University in the field of biology/genetics. She dove into scientific clinical literature and self-diagnosed herself and her father with Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy (EDMD). When expert US physicians did not agree with her diagnosis, she collaborated with geneticists in Italy and elsewhere in Europe to determine the genetic basis of EDMD and confirm her own diagnosis.

Having solved the genetics mystery of her own condition, Jill was excited to pursue her passion for writing and earned a Master's degree in Creative Writing from Iowa State University. She tought english at DMACC and other community colleges.

She met the love of her life, Jeremy, in 2003 and they married in 2005. Due to potential complications from EDMD, having a child put her health at risk, but being a mother was her dream. After Jill gave birth to Martin in 2006, her family with Jeremy was complete. They moved to Gowrie later that year where Jill wrote for the Gowrie News and worked as a substitute teacher at the high school. For much of his childhood, Jill would be seen traveling around town on her scooter with Martin on her lap. Gowrie remains an amazing community for the Viles family.

A highlight of Jill's summers was attending the University of Iowa Summer Writer's Festival with her mom. She enjoyed taking a variety of classes, developing deep bonds with fellow writers, and going to Prairie Lights Bookstore. During several summers, she was so proud that her son Martin was able to come and take part in the Blank Summer Institute - part of the Belin-Blank Center at the University of Iowa. Jill was also involved in several local book clubs.

While raising her son, Jill pursued research into muscular dystrophy and she made a remarkable genetic connection between herself and Priscilla Lopes-Schliep, an Olympic medalist, that likely saved Priscilla's life. The story of Jill and Priscilla titled "Something Only I can See" has aired repeatedly on This American Life radio program on NPR.

Jill's latest accomplishment was writing Manufacturing My Miracle, a story which chronicles the events of her life - which will be published by Bloomsbury Publishing in July 2025. Having her story published was one of her proudest achievements, and she had looked forward to giving book readings in July 2025. In this book, Jill shares captivating chapters about her search for answers and meaning in the world of genetic research with compelling and heartfelt stories.

Jill spent much of her time connecting people with EDMD and other rare diseases, researching, and writing. The most important thing to Jill was being a wonderful wife to her beloved husband, Jeremy, and an incredible mom to their son, Martin. She was ridiculously successful!

In lieu of flowers, a memorial contribution can be made to the University of Iowa's Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Genetics to support the next generation of genetic researchers: U of Iowa Genetics Program https://goldrush.uiowa.edu/celebrating-50-years-for-the-ui-genetics-graduate-program