The Funeral

I had my hair done yesterday morning and then after lunch, Bob and I went to Bartlesville to the funeral of the doctor that delivered my last two children. He was 88. I had stayed with him all those years. He began practice in 1956 and Leslie was born in 1957. He was a wonderful family doctor. He saw me through some of the best times of my life...and some of the worst.

He was a lifelong smoker and I thought lung cancer would finally get him but it was his kidneys that failed. He had fallen and seemed to be getting better. His children all went back to their practices (they are all three doctors) and he died that night. That happens a lot. People think there is improvement and then the person dies. My stepdad was like that.

Anyhow, after the funeral we noticed there wasn't a soul there that we knew. We left Bartlesville in 1969 and moved to Caney, Kansas. We continued to go to Bartlesville to doctor with him even after we moved to Coffeyville in 1981, when I went to work at the radio station here.

In fact, he just retired a couple of years ago. He was one of those rare doctors that gave every patient as much time as they needed. He always asked about the kids whenever I went in for anything. He was a great doctor.

He practiced in Dewey because that is where he wanted to live..just outside of Bartlesville. He was a very typical small town doctor..but very talented. He will be missed.