Willard T. Weeks

Willard Weeks Obituary

1929 - 2011
PELHAM, MA – Willard Travell Weeks, 82, an accomplished family physician in Amherst, MA, died of pneumonia on Monday, December 26, 2011, at the Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton, MA.

Born on October 16, 1929 in Manhattan to Harold Eastman Weeks, a 1907 electrical engineering graduate of MIT, and Virginia McQueen Travell (Virginia T. Weeks, M.D.), a 1921 graduate of Wellesley College and 1925 graduate of Cornell University Medical College, he was raised in Brooklyn Heights, NY and attended Brooklyn Friends School.

Will graduated from Amherst College in 1951 and Cornell University Medical College in 1955. After a one year internship at Maine General Hospital, he spent two years in the Indian Health Service as a conscientious objector working with indigenous people in North Dakota, Arizona, and Alaska in Bethel and on Saint Paul Island in midst of the Bering Sea. This was followed by two years in a general practice residency with the US Public Health Service in Norfolk, VA. He married Mary Beverly James in Richmond, VA on April 16, 1960. They settled in Amherst, MA where he took over the medical practice of Dr. Robert W. Gage. Prior to their divorce in 1981, Will and Beverly had two children. In 1966, he partnered with Dr. Ronald Loescher in a practice that later expanded to become Amherst Medical Associates. In 1985, Will returned to solo practice in Amherst.

Will was also active in the Amherst Town Meeting and served on the Citizens' Advisory Committee, the Amherst Redevelopment Authority, and as Treasurer of Interfaith Housing, which successfully developed low-income housing at Village Park in Amherst.

0n July 3, 1993, Will married Barbara Stevens Roberts, a 1953 graduate of Smith College, with a Ph.D. in Political Science from Yale in 1963. They lived in Pelham, MA and together shared a deep Christian faith and a passion for gardening, nature and the arts. He retired in 1994.

A gentle man of the woods, Will's other passions included raising Labrador Retrievers, building log cabins and ponds, hunting, fishing, skiing, cooking, eating, photography, woodworking, making apple cider and maple syrup, all of which he delightfully shared with others.

He leaves his wife, Barbara Stevens Weeks; a son, Daniel Eastman Weeks of Pittsburgh, PA; a daughter, Virginia Louise Weeks of Roslindale, MA; two sisters, Virginia Davidson Weeks of Lake Placid, NY and Elinor Eastman Weeks of Norfolk, VA; a brother, Sheldon Griswold Weeks of Botswana, Africa; a grandson, Patrick Joseph Weeks of Pittsburgh, PA; and many nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be planned at a later date. Memorial gifts may be made to: the Amherst College Annual Fund, P.O. Box 5000, Amherst, MA 01002-5000 (include name & class), or the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Development Department, 1000 Washington Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11225.

Family & Friends can view and share memories of Will at the website: http://danieleweeks.com

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by New York Times from Jan. 4 to Jan. 5, 2012.

Memories and Condolences
for Willard Weeks

9 Entries

Christine Richer

January 11, 2012

I was privileged to be a home caregiver to Dr. Weeks in the last months of his life. He was a gentle man, a man of deep faith, thoughtful and full of love for his wife and family. I really enjoyed reading to him from books on prayer and faith and discussing our thoughts and memories. And who could forget sharing lots of laughter when Barbara joined us! I am so sorry for your loss of such a great husband and father.

Capt. Dave Bitters

January 9, 2012

Doc was one of the finest gentlemen I have ever known. Some of my grandest days afield were spent with him. See you when I get there, Doc. - Capt. David Bitters, Duxbury, MA

Don Treanor

January 9, 2012

My memories of Willard go back many years to our family visits to Sheffield.My sister Sallie and I loved the time we spent there and all the Travell connections we got to know. We visited Virginia in Lake Placid some years ago but had lost touch over the years. Willard was one of an unusual,gifted and giving family. He will be missed.

Rachel Fletcher

January 8, 2012

My deepest sympathies to the family. Barbara and Willard were among the handful of early supporters of the African American Heritage Trail in the Upper Housatonic Valley, and played an important role in shaping the trail to what it is today. We are so very grateful to both of them. Best regards,

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Paige Leavitt

January 5, 2012

You didn't mention Will's love of gardening; the delicious and healthy bounty from his garden is forever in my memories of Will, along with all the photographs of the fruits of his labor.
Also, there was the summer I was 10 years old and engrossed in the Nancy Drew series. Will's office was robbed and he so gently humored me as I searched around for clues to solve the case. Of course I never found anything but he had an idea that would console me; to this day I clearly recall following him to the attic and opening a large box that contained his treasured Hardy Boys collection. They were so much more exciting than Nancy Drew! Twenty years later I sat with my son as he read the series and was so thankful to Will for introducing me.

January 5, 2012

What a beautifully written memoir of your father. His compassionate nature, contribution to society and inspiration to his children clearly shine through. As a work colleague of yours, Virginia, I did not have the pleasure of ever meeting your father, but I enjoyed hearing stories you would share from time-to-time. I am sure he will be sorely missed. Take care, Karen Gotkin.

Tara Matise

January 4, 2012

Dan and Virginia - I'm very sorry to hear the news about your father. I really enjoyed reading and learning about him, he sounds like a very interesting man who certainly had a wonderful full life. Your obituary and wikipage to honor him and keep and share your many memories is really nice. Thinking of you - Tara (colleague and former student of Dan)

Virginia Weeks

January 4, 2012

As to the photo in the obituary, I gave my dad that Orvis sweater because I knew he'd like that it had black labs on it. If you look again, you'll see that he found some yarn and sewed over one of the black labs to change it to a yellow lab with a red collar in order to represent one of his dogs named "Butterscotch."

March duPont

January 4, 2012

My fondest recollections of Will are of him in his role as "recreation director" for our many outings, and for his priceless remark as we drove in deep snow on the way to ski: "March, sit here, we need the weight in front."

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