Dr. William Tyler Read

A memorial service for Dr. William “Bill” Tyler Read, 87, of Tyler, will be held on Thursday, October 11, 2018 at 10:30 a.m. at Pollard United Methodist Church with Reverend Richard Luna and Reverend Stephen Rhoads officiating. A private family burial will precede the service at Rose Hill Cemetery and a visitation will follow the service in the church parlor. Dr. Read was called home to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Friday, October 5, 2018. He was born December 15, 1930 in Mart, Texas to Winfred Weldon and Elma Folk Read. He was raised in Mart and graduated Mart High School. Following high school, he attended Baylor University graduating in 1952, after which he attended medical school at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, graduating in 1956. He interned at Denver General Hospital in Denver, Colorado and completed his pediatric residency at Children’s Medical Center of Dallas in 1961. In addition, he received his Board Certification in Pediatrics in 1963. He served as a captain in the Unites States Air Force from 1957 - 1959 serving as a General Duty Medical Officer at Francis E. Warren Air Force Base near Cheyenne, Wyoming. Following his education and military service, Dr. Read moved to Tyler and began his private practice. It was in Tyler where he found his calling to serve others. He practiced pediatric medicine for 29 years until he retired in 1990. During this time, he was on the attending and consulting staff at Mother Francis Hospital and Medical Center Hospital. Dr. Read was a member of Beta Beta Beta biological honor society, the American Medical Association, Texas Medical Association, Texas Pediatric Society, Smith County Medical Society, and a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Following retirement, Dr. Read went back to work at St. Paul Children’s Clinic as a volunteer physician in the indigent clinic from 1991 – 1999. In addition, he volunteered throughout his life at his spiritual home, Pollard United Methodist Church. During the last few years, he was proud to serve the Hospice of East Texas as a volunteer serving in various roles. Dr. Read was the recipient of the J.C. Penney Golden Rule Award for Volunteer Services in 1993 and the Gold Headed Cane Award in 1999. Dr. Read married the love of his life, Nancy Coleman on August 22, 1952. Their 60 years of marriage were strong, and they were blessed with two children, Lezlie and Cole. He was preceded in death by his parents and his beloved wife, Nancy Coleman Read. He is survived by his daughter Lezlie Jinks and her husband, Jayson of Allen, Texas, son William Coleman Read and his partner, Frank Rosales of Dallas, Texas, and grandson Pearson Read Jinks of Allen, Texas. The family would like to acknowledge with gratitude the care and support of the Hospice of East Texas during his final days. In addition, we would like to acknowledge all the love and support he received from his neighbors and friends with special thanks to Anthe Caruso, Jim and Faye Crawford, Bobby Crone and Kim Reel. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to the Hospice of East Texas or Pollard United Methodist Church. Honorary pallbearers will be H. O. Abbott, Dr. Joe Bates, Dr. Joe Bill Belue, Jim Crawford, Bobby Crone, Carlos Flores, Nolan Manziel, and Larry Whitaker. ________________________________________________________________________ My father truly had a blessed life. He was born in the small central Texas town of Mart to hard working parents. Growing up he did what most boys do, played football and worked in the family grocery business. In high school he met my mother, Nancy Lou Coleman. Both my parents attended Baylor University and they were married just before he began his medical training in Galveston. Upon graduation, he interned in Denver where my sister was born, followed by military service in Wyoming, and his residency in Dallas where I was born. In 1961, our family moved to Tyler, a growing community in need of a pediatrician. Dad was a doctor from the old school. In those days, he made house calls. In fact, one of his favorite nurses, Dolly Taylor, recalled how Dad went to his first house call and in his excitement, he forgot his doctor’s bag. Growing up, my Dad’s footsteps could be heard countless times in the middle of the night coming down the hall of our house on his way to the hospital to welcome a newborn or treat a sick child. At our home, he installed an office phone next to our dinner table, so he could take calls during our meals. I do not think we ever had dinner without hearing my father say, “Have they had a BM today?” Our dinners were never dull in our house! Several of my father’s friends have told me that my dad always treated patients regardless of their ability to pay or the color of their skin. When my dad setup private practice in Tyler, his first office came with a patient examining room intended for “colored children”. The times were changing, and my father ended this practice. I remember my mother telling me the story that on one of his initial days in his office when his practice was just beginning, my father was reading the paper while my mother was doing paperwork. When the phone rang, my mother asked my dad to answer the phone because she was busy. While he did answer the phone, I believe that was the last day my mother worked in his office! I was only 13 years old when my mother was diagnosed with cancer. Although we did not know she had been given 6 months to live, my sister and I knew that her condition was serious. My father was devasted with my mother’s diagnosis but determined to ensure she had the best care possible. During her monthly chemo treatments, my dad took off from work and drove my mother to MD Anderson in Houston returning the same day to administer her treatment at their bedside. With my mother’s determination, my father’s strength, and their strong faith, my mother’s cancer went into remission. After 29 years, my father retired from private practice at age 59 but he was hardly finished with practicing medicine. Very soon, he went back to work volunteering at St. Paul Children’s Clinic as a physician in the indigent clinic for almost 8 years. At age 61, he selflessly donated one of his kidneys to his cousin Mark in Houston. The gift afforded Mark the opportunity to spend additional time with his family and friends. My parents spent their later years traveling. Their passion was antiques and my mother opened a small business in Tyler. Mom and Dad journeyed to England 2-3 times a year to buy for her store. While it was my mother’s business, my dad liked to think of it as a joint venture. My mother had a keen eye for finding treasures and according to my her, my dad not as much. She said for every item she found to sell, your dad would find two items that they had to keep!! It was a passion they enjoyed and shared together. As his son, I was in awe of his dedication and strength. He never slowed down and never rested until all his work was done. At times it was difficult to be his son and live up to the high standards he set for himself and his family. When my mother passed away in 2013, my dad was devasted. So much of his life had been devoted to her care and wellbeing. My father needed a new purpose, a reason for living. While in her absence, he developed new friendships and volunteered at the Hospice of East Texas, his life was not the same without my mother. Throughout his life, my dad was blessed with good health. When that began to decline, he began to see things differently. His life was dedicated to serving others, but his health no longer permitted him to fulfill this mission. My Father taught us that there was nothing more important in life than serving others. Whether he was seeing patients as a physician in his practice or at the St Paul clinic, volunteering at his church, visiting sick friends like clockwork or manning the front desk at Hospice of East Texas, he never waivered from his life’s mission to serve. He may not have been a bible scholar, but he truly had a servant’s heart. I believe this passage from Mark 10:43-45 rings true for my father “But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Cole Read

Dr. William Tyler Read

December 15, 1930 - October 5, 2018