William "Bill" G. Baldwin

Dr. William Grove “Bill” Baldwin, age 95, passed away February 15, 2018. He was born July 28, 1922 in Hilo, HI to Dr. Grove Baldwin and Mabel Frances McGee. He also had a half-sister, Barbara Hawkins and younger brother, Charles E Baldwin. When the family moved from Hilo to the mainland, they adapted well to the dramatic change in climate and culture of Sioux Falls, SD. William attended seven high schools in five states, learning the art of “fitting in”, and graduated in 1940 from South Fork Union HS in Miranda, CA. After two years of junior college, he attended Creighton University School of Medicine in Omaha, NE where he received his Doctorate of Medicine in 1947. As a post-graduate student there, he met Alpha Rhea Bailey, a University of Washington graduate who was studying Ophthalmology. They married the day after graduating from Creighton and then interned in San Francisco hospitals in 1947-48. They completed their General Residency programs in 1949 in Honolulu, HI. Later that year they moved to Wenatchee where their first child, Barbara Ellen Baldwin, was born. William accepted a position in Greenville, CA where William Jr. was born. In 1950, Bill and Alpha were offered a medical practice in Quincy, WA. In the fall of that year, Bill went to serve two years in the Air Force as Captain in the Medical Corps. Alpha maintained the medical practice until Bill’s return. They were the only full-time physicians the small town had ever had. The family moved to Philadelphia for one year in 1954-55 so Bill could do post-graduate work at the University of Pennsylvania. Alpha and the children then moved back to Quincy while Bill did a residency in Otolaryngology (1955-57) at the University of Iowa, coming home for holidays and summer visits. In 1957, the couple relocated their practice to Wenatchee which began their association with the Eye and Ear Hospital and Clinic. Bill became a Diplomate for the American Board of Otorhinolaryngology in 1958. He became a Fellow with both the American College of Surgeons and the American Academy of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery. He was a member of the A.M.A., the Washington Medical Association and the Douglas County Medical Association. He was also a member of the Chelan County Medical Services Bureau, serving one term as President as well as a member of Grant County Medical Society, serving one term as Vice-President. Their family was forever changed when Alpha died of cancer in March of 1966. Bill converted to Catholicism the month before and found strength in attending and being an active member of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. On April 11, 1970 he married Marjorie Cummins Johnson, a colleague and pharmacist at the Eye and Ear whose husband had passed away from cancer in May of 1968. Bill and Marge were now parents to six children ranging in age from seven to 21: Barbara and Bill Baldwin and Lynn, Janelle, Craig and Kent Johnson. Bill was elected to the Wenatchee School Board and served during the years when he was able to personally hand diplomas to his son in 1968 and step-daughter Lynn in 1971. Throughout their lives together, Bill and Marge enjoyed celebrating holidays and family events at their Lake Chelan cabin. They traveled extensively including the Holy Land, Alaska, Italy, England, Ireland, Samoa and Jordan, but Hawaii was their favorite destination. They had come to consider Napili Beach on Maui as a third “home” and enjoyed those month-long vacations every February. Bill had also visited every state in the Union. Marge died in August of 2014 and he spent his remaining time reading, especially historical non-fiction, watching golf on TV and looking back on a rich, full, successful and happy life. He is survived by: Barbara Baldwin of Spokane; Bill Jr. (Patti Holden) of Kirkland; Lynn (Everett) Gahringer of Wenatchee; Janelle (Guy Baltzelle) Johnson of Woodinville; Craig (Shawn Underwood) Johnson of Burien; and Kent (Susan) Johnson of Olympia; grandchildren: Jennifer Gahringer, Katie (Nathan) Smeltzer, Austin, Conner, and Lexi Johnson; Trevor and Andrew Johnson; and two great-grandchildren, Lizzy and Mackenzie Smeltzer. A Rosary Vigil Service will be held Thursday, February 22, 2018 at 7:00 pm in Our Lady’s chapel at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Wenatchee. Mass of Christian Burial will be held Friday, February 23, 2018 at 11:00 am at St. Joseph Catholic Church with interment following at Wenatchee City Cemetery. Memorial donations may be made to St. Joseph Church.

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William "Bill" G. Baldwin

July 28, 1922 - February 15, 2018