William Bachrach Weil M.D. Jr.

William Bachrach Weil, Jr. M.D. Okemos Passed away on December 21, 2013 at Bickford Assisted Living in Okemos, Michigan at the age of 89 with his family present. He is survived by his wife, Velma S. Weil, whom he married in 1948. He is also survived by his two daughters: Susan Weil Bates (Clayton) of Canadian Lakes, Michigan; and Constance Weil (Richard Brissette) of Des Plaines, Illinois; and five grandchildren (David, Sarah and Matthew Bates, Daniel and Ben Brissette). He is also survived by his brother Robert Weil (Mary) of Minneapolis, Minnesota and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, William and Gladys Weil, and sister, Jean Levy (Jim). William was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1924. He graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1948 with the following degrees: B.A., B.S., M.B., and M.D. He completed his residency at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia where he was chief resident. He was a captain in the U.S. Army for three years. He resided in multiple locations as he taught at medical schools including Case Western Reserve in Cleveland Ohio, University of Florida in Gainesville Florida and Michigan State University in East Lansing Michigan. He resided in East Lansing for 42 years before moving to Okemos, Michigan. Dr. Weil was the founding chairperson of the Department of Human Development (now the Department of Pediatrics and Human Development) at Michigan State University's College of Human Medicine and professor of pediatrics until his retirement in 1994. He developed and directed the first fellowship program in the United States devoted to children with chronic illness. He was a nationally renowned academic physician who was a strong advocate for children and has influenced children's issues. He was passionate about the health and development of children, including issues related to medical ethics, chronic illness, environmental toxins, pesticide use and children's food safety, nutrition and childhood obesity, kidney disease, juvenile diabetes, Native American healthcare and healthcare reform. He authored more than 150 publications on these and other topics and testified before congress on many issues. He was a visiting professor in many other countries. He served in many committee positions with the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Pediatric Society, the National Institutes for Health and the National Science Foundation. He continued to work on behalf of children for many years after retirement through multiple organizations including the medical school, the Gerber Foundation and the Ingham County Intermediate School District. He was honored with the Michigan State University Distinguished Faculty Award in 1976 and the Lester J. Evans MD, College of Human Medicine Distinguished Service Award in 2011. An Endowed Distinguished Pediatric Faculty Award was also created in his name. A scholarship was also established by an anonymous CHM alumnus to honor Dr. Weil on the occasion of his retirement from the college; preference is given to financially deserving students who have an expressed interest in becoming a primary care physician and have made a significant contribution to infant/child care or development as evidenced through volunteerism or professional experiences. Dr. Weil has touched the lives of countless medical students, fellow academics, lawmakers, patients and their families. He loved camping, traveling, gardening, bird watching and spending time with his family. A memorial service to celebrate the life of William B. Weil, Jr. M.D. is being planned; specifics will be available in the future from Gorsline Runciman Funeral Homes at www.greastlansing.com. Memorial gifts may be made to Ele's Place, Lansing, Michigan www.elesplace.org or 517-482-1315. The family would like to express its thanks to the staff of Bickford Assisted Living and Great Lakes Caring Hospice for the wonderful care provided at the end of William Weil's life.