Walter S. Rothwell, M.D.

Dr. Walter Spray Rothwell, 93, formerly of Trenton, Grosse Ile and Palmetto, Florida, died peacefully at Atria Kinghaven on December 27, 2017. A funeral will be held at Martenson Trenton Chapel on December 31 at 10:00 am. Walter Rothwell ("Jack" to friends since childhood) was born in Denver, Colorado, on May 30, 1924. He was named after his maternal grandfather, Walter Johnathan Spray. When he was an infant Jack's family moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts, where his father Stephen G. established a medical practice in eye, ear, nose and throat care. Jack's mother, Mildred Spray, had strong Quaker roots and his early schooling was at the local Friends Academy. A divorce in 1936 lead Jack to attend sixth grade at Eaglebrook School near Amherst. There he learned to ski and was told he had "too many hobbies." Jack chose to return to family in Denver for junior and senior high school. He played saxophone in the East High Band and was inducted into the National Honor Society. As graduation approached he faced another major decision regarding where he wanted further education. With much thought and mentoring from a trusted teacher he chose to attend Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, where he excelled. He was awarded the Towne Scientific Prize, was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa his junior year, and graduated magna cum laude. He progressed to Dartmouth Medical School and enlisted in the Army as part of their medical recruitment program. As Dartmouth at the time did not offer a full medical curriculum, in 1945 he transferred to Harvard Medical School. During that transition he spent a semester at Yale University to study comparative anatomy and, to his great liking, Shakespeare. Jack became a physician in 1947, the third generation of Rothwells in medicine. He was discharged from the Army and chose Geisinger Memorial Hospital in Danville, Pennsylvania for its rotating internship in a group practice format. The beautiful rural location made this choice all the easier. It was in Boston, as a fourth-year Harvard medical student at Massachusetts General Hospital, that Jack met the love of his life, Barbara Chapman. She was the head nurse on Bulfinch 3, the hospital unit for ENT patients. They married in New York City on a weekend in March, 1948. The Matron of Honor at their wedding was his sister, Rev. Pat Robbennolt. They started their family in Danville as he finished internship and began residency training in internal medicine and pathology. Jack and Barb had 67 happy years together, proud parents of five children, until her death at 91 in late 2015. As his medical training progressed, Jack resisted his father's offer to join his practice on the East Coast. Jack was realizing that he had a gift for pattern recognition in diagnosing illness, was only average in manual dexterity, hated nosebleeds, and preferred not to limit his care to elite patients. He never regretted the decision to follow his own path in medicine. Jack's destination for medical training was Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. As the after-effects of WWII played out, there was a backlog of physicians catching up on their training that was interrupted by the war. Jack was accepted for a fellowship at Mayo but had to wait three years to start there. First son Steve joined the family in 1950 while Jack served after residency on a research team in Elgin, Illinois, studying nutrition. In 1951 Jack enlisted in the Air Force for further research out of an interest in aviation. His previous research experience gave him the opportunity to be part of the "AeroMed Lab" at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, working on technology to allow crewmen to escape from jet aircraft. Second son Walt joined the clan there in 1952. After military discharge as a Captain in 1953 the family made the long-awaited move to Rochester, Minnesota for a two-year fellowship in Internal Medicine at Mayo Clinic. Third son David was born there in 1955. Ready for a "real job," Jack led the family to suburban Detroit to join a group medical practice. Daughter Barbara Gail was born in early 1957. By 1958 Jack chose to start a solo practice of internal medicine in nearby Trenton. Seaway Hospital had just opened nearby, where Jack later served in turn as department head and Chief of Staff. Youngest daughter Jan joined the family in 1962. Wife Barb chose to resume her career in nursing, and thanks to the efforts or her and other nurses there, Jack established a coronary care unit at Seaway; his contributions were later recognized by the Michigan Heart Association with the Award of Distinction and the Dr. Everal Wakeman Award for his efforts to serve the community in the care of heart disease. Jack and Barb moved in the 1970s from their home on Grosse Ile to Trenton, a few blocks from his office, for Jan's senior year. In 1986 Jack retired from patient care. To the amazement of many, he was never bored or adrift as he moved on with life. He maintained his keen diagnostic skill, at age 87 receiving an award for identifying two rare diseases in a contest at a state meeting of his beloved American College of Physicians, a feat that no doctor of any age had ever accomplished during these annual sessions. Jack and Barb enjoyed golf with friends regularly. Jack fished for salmon and steelhead trout with close friends in Lake Michigan and won the Michigan Master Angler Award for a trophy steelhead in 1979, the second largest in Michigan that year. They cruised to the Caribbean, Norway, the Greek Isles, Australia and New Zealand, and toured Ireland, London, Paris, Berlin and Athens. Jack renewed his interest in family heritage, family memoirs, and playing bridge with friends. He and Barb shared an interest in geology with friends and they became avid "rock hounds." Jack was able to spend more time pursuing his beloved classical music, including service on the board of the Sarasota Orchestra in Florida. Barb expanded her skill as a gourmet cook, with Jack helping with wine pairings. Too many hobbies? He begs to differ. They formed the fabric for a happy, interesting, and fulfilling life. Jack and Barbara were ever proud and loving of their five children, eight grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren: ♥Steve Rothwell, wife Ann Wright and their daughters Margo Rothwell and Julia Khalek, ♥Walt Rothwell, wife Sarah and their son Patrick, wife Jenny and daughter Josie, and daughter Emily, ♥David Rothwell, wife Pamela and their daughter Amanda, ♥Barb Elgin, husband Jim and their daughter Courtney and husband Alex Neuman, and son Carl, and ♥Jan Johnson, husband Chuck and their daughters Katie and Megan, her husband Brett Swaenepoel, daughter Kadence and sons Brock and Clayton. Jack is survived by his sister, the Rev. Pat Robbennolt of Pleasant Hill, Tenn. He also had several nieces and nephews and many dear friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, sisters Margaret ("Peppy") Klein and Susan Braucher, and wife Barbara. Please add your photos and stories to this site, and consider memorials. Viisitation is on Saturday, December 30, 2017 from 1 - 5 pm at The Trenton Chapel of The Martenson Family of Funeral Homes, 3200 West Rd., Trenton. The funeral service is on Sunday, December 31, 2017 at 10 am at the funeral home. Memorial contributions may be made to the Penrickton Center for Blind Children or to St. Thomas Episcopal Church Click on the multimedia tab to view Walter's video tribute.