Dr. Bruce W. Meek

Dr. Bruce Weldon Meek, age 84, died peacefully surrounded by his family at the Meadow Lake Retirement Community in Tyler, Texas on September 11th, 2016. Dr. Meek was born on Christmas Day in 1931 to a small town carpenter and his wife, Albert Meek and Mildred Meek. He is survived by his wife, Sandra Kay Meek; and his children and grandchildren; Margo Meek Morgan, her husband Charles and their children Erin Morgan Powell with her husband Tim and Rachel Morgan Farr and her husband Cole Farr; Linda Meek Hale, her husband Pete and their children Justin with his bride Amy and Courtney Hale Gerkin with her husband Carl Gerkin; Kevin Meek and his wife Donna and their children, Jared, Ryan and Jessica; Craig Meek and his wife Suzanne and their children, Madison, Caroline, Davis and Andrew; Jason Meek and his wife Brenda and their children Kennedy, Keaton and Kinsey; and Rocco, his faithful dog. The size, volume and impact of this progeny is testament in and of itself to Dr. Meek's impact on our world, but that is not the half of it. Dr. Meek is preceded in death by his parents, his older brother Donald Meek, killed in action in the waning days of World War II and his stepson, Dirk Whisenhunt. Dr. Meek was a 1949 graduate of Crete Monee High School of Crete, Illinois and completed his undergraduate studies in 1953 at Cornell College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He then received his Doctorate of Medicine in 1957 from Northwestern Medical School in Chicago, Illinois. Dr. Meek then completed a one year internship and a three year residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas. Dr. Meek was certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology in 1965. He practiced medicine in Dallas at Presbyterian Hospital and was, at times during his practice, a Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Southwestern University Medical School until his retirement to the wilds of East Texas in 1994. Dr. Meek was a member of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the Texas Obstetrics and Gynecology Society, and the Dallas - Ft. Worth Obstetrics and Gynecology Society. Our gracious Lord and the US government are likely the only ones who know how many new babies Dr. Meek ushered into life but the number is sufficiently prodigious that seemingly every commercial establishment in Dallas, Texas visited by his children would have a clerk that would require the telling of the tale of Dr. Meek's successful involvement with their birth before any transaction at the establishment could be completed. Dr. Meek was an active member of a number of churches during his life and during his retirement was a member and leader in the Frankston United Methodist Church in Frankston, Texas where he was active in the Methodist Men's Group and held a number of lay leader positions. Dr. Meek was a man of charity and action as evidenced by his medical missions to the Republic of Haiti and the innumerable local service projects in Dallas and near his retirement house in the pecan trees and piney woods of his beloved adopted homeland of East Texas. Dr. Meek brought life into the world, literally and figuratively. He was the best physician a patient could want whose baritone greeting of "I know you" would bring a smile to the most tired or anxious of new moms. He attacked life, love and time as one who knew instinctively how fast the clock turns. He was a SCUBA diver when no one knew what that was, a white water kayaker that insisted on making his own boat and a snow skier that eschewed turns. He cared for patients, family and friends with selfless zeal. He built things. He grew things. He raised people, in all meanings of the word. Heaven is his home; we can only hope it needs a cabin, because that is what it is going to get (and maybe an orchard, and a pond, and a barn or two, and....). Dr. Meek's family would like to particularly thank the staff of the Meadow Lake Healthcare Facility in Tyler, Texas for the tender care given to this man and to his family during his final days. The Lord works through your hands and words. A celebration of his special life will be held at the Frankston United Methodist Church on Saturday, September 24th, 2016 at 11:00 am under the direction of Stewart Family Funeral Home. A private ceremony for family members to spread Dr. Meek's ashes will held in the outdoor chapel of Camp HIOAC (conceived, designed and constructed by the guest of honor) immediately thereafter. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that any who wish make a contribution to a charity of their choice in Dr. Meek's honor or, in continuance of his own stewardship, to the American Parkinson's Association, 135 Parkinson Ave., Staten Island, NY 10305, The Hospice of East Texas Foundation, 4111 University Blvd., Tyler, TX 75701 or the Frankston United Methodist Church, 131 S. Weldon St., Frankston, TX 75763.

Dr. Bruce W. Meek

December 25, 1931 - September 11, 2016