FESENMEYER, Charles Richard, Dr. 1920-2011

FESENMEYER, BOWLING, STRYKER, NOBLE

Posted By: Diane M Scott (email)
Date: 5/1/2012 at 15:30:12

Dr. Charles Richard Fesenmeyer – May 10, 1920 – September 18, 2011

Dr. Charles Richard Fesenmeyer of Davenport, Iowa, passed away at home on Sunday, September 18, 2011. He had been cared for by his devoted wife of 67 years, Kathlene "Kay" Bowling Fesenmeyer.

Dr. Fesenmeyer -- known to his friends and family as Dick or Gus -- was born May 10, 1920 in Des Moines, Iowa, the son of Victor Emmanuel and Fannie Stryker Fesenmeyer.

He graduated from Riceville High School, Riceville, Iowa, in 1937. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Iowa in 1941, and was fast-tracked through medical school at the University of Iowa due to World War II, graduating in 1943.

Dr. Fesenmeyer interned at Harper Hospital in Detroit, Michigan, and was married to Kay on April 28, 1944. During World War II, he served as a Captain in the Army Medical Corps and was stationed in the Philippines for two years. After the war, he and Kay returned to Detroit, where he completed four years of surgical residency.

Dr. Fesenmeyer and his family settled in Davenport in 1950, where he practiced medicine until 1999. In his 56 years of medical practice, he served as Chief of Surgery and Chief of Staff at the former St Luke's Hospital (now Genesis East) and as president of the Scott County Medical Society. He was a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and a lifetime member of the Iowa Medical Society. His practice included general surgery, occupational medicine, and adult care. "Doc" made house calls and visited patients in nursing homes long after these ceased to be common practice. He was loved and respected by his patients, nursing staff and colleagues.

Dick was a member, deacon, and elder of First Presbyterian Church. He was a gardener and woodworker, a voracious reader, and an avid Hawkeye supporter. Dick was the beloved patriarch of the Fesenmeyer family, concerned about the happiness and well-being of his wife, children, grandchildren and loved ones.

Dick is survived by his wife, Kay; children Charles Richard Jr., Thomas (Dr. Ann Connors), and Nancy, of Iowa City, Iowa and Kathlene (Dr. William Edwards), of Rockford, Illinois; grandchildren Elizabeth (Shane) Beers, Jennifer (William) DiCaro, Mark and Eric Edwards, and Victor and Maureen Fesenmeyer; and great-grandson Max DiCaro. He is also survived by sister Evelyn Noble of Rochester, MN, and sister-in-law Loree Fesenmeyer of Worland, WY. He was preceded in death by his parents, his mother-in-law, Nancy Andrews, his brother, Philip Fesenmeyer, and his brother-in-law, Russell Noble.

Quad City Times, Davenport, Iowa , October 2, 2011

note* His parents are buried in the Riverside Cemetery, Riceville, Mitchell, Iowa