MD Meredith W. Tom
Meredith, W. Tom, MD, 72, retired physician, died Saturday, December 15, 2007. Memorial service 3:00 P.M. Wednesday, University Congregational Church. Tom was a graduate of the University of Texas in 1957 and Southwestern Medical School in 1961. He did his internship at Emory University in 1962. From 1962-1965 Tom was a Lt. in the United States Navy, serving his country as a flight surgeon. From 1965-1968 he was an Internal Medicine Resident at Orange County Medical Center and a UCLA Nephrology Fellow 1968-1969. He was the first Nephrologist in clinical practice in Kansas. He established the first dialysis centers in Wichita at St. Francis and subsequently throughout the state. He was a dedicated and enthusiastic physician. He enjoyed golf, traveling, was an avid reader. Preceded in death by his parents, William Toland and Matile (Hopkins) Meredith; he is survived by his wife, Judy Meredith; daughter, Stacy (Mark) Eberling, Castle Rock, CO; sons, David (Rosemary) Meredith, Arlington, TX and Darin Meredith, Wichita, KS; sisters, Judy Robinson, and Kathy Meredith, both of Denver, CO; grandchildren, Kaitlin and Natalie Eberling, Dylan Meredith, Justin and Michael White. In lieu of flowers, a memorial has been established as the W. Tom Meredith, MD KDA Fund (Kansas Dialysis Association) c/o Wichita Community Fund, 200 W. Douglas S-250, Wichita, KS 67202. Downing Lahey East.
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Judy, I was saddened to see the obituary of Tom in the paper. My thoughts are with you and your family. He was always such a kind and fun person.
I first became aquainted with Dr. Meredith when St. Francis via Christy Hospital combined some units and I was assigned to a dialysis unit. I was new to dialysis and Leroy S., a patient of Dr. Merediths, was supposed to be doing his own CAPD exchanges to which he was adding insulin. Leroy was on his third exchange at 10:00 am and didnt know what he was doing that morning. I called Dr. Meredith and told him Leroy was not mentally capable of doing his exchanges. I must have sounded desperate on the telephone but Dr. Meredith just laughed and said Leroy would be alright and he was. For the next ten years I would come to know Dr. Meredith as a very caring man. He could be exasperating at times but I knew I could count on him in an emergency even though he might not be the attending physician. He loved his family and I remember him showing the nurses a family picture taken around Christmas time and I could here the pride in his voice as he told us the names of each person. He was a caring person and will be missed. M.Jamis, retired R.N.
Hi, My life could never be complete without saying Good-Bye to Dr. Tom. I have Interstitial Cystitis which was known about 30 years ago when I began having problems. It generally does not show up on testing, and Dr.’s had thrown charts at me etc…..etc..because I just kept getting sick with no known explanation except it was in my Head. My cousin directed me to Dr. Tom, and he understood and took care of me and gave me support for 20 years. I would not have had any quality of life without him. Thank You Dr. Tom Meredith for the life that you gave to me.
Tom was my dad’s nephrologist for many years. During that time, he not only provided excellent medical services, but he also became a friend to Ferd and our family. Tom had the kind of ‘bedside manners’ that every family wants in their doctor — warmth, heart-felt connection, genuine concern. We will always be grateful to him for the medical and emotional support he provided us for those many years. I am very sorry to hear about Tom’s passing. My family and I extend our deepest sympathies to you in this difficult time. Sincerely, Evan A. (Rusty) Evans Boulder, Colorado
TO THE MEREDITH ,FAMILY SORRY FOR YOU LOSS. THE FAMILY OF THE LATE DOROTHY SHEELEY WOULD LIKE TO EXPERSS OUR SYMPATHY. WE HAVE ALWAYS HAD THE HIGHEST RESPECT FOR DR. MEREDITH. HE WILL BE MISS. MAY GOD BLESS. LOOK TO THE HILL FOR HELP. YOUR HELP COME FORM THE LORD. WE WILL MISS SMILE AND HIS KNOWLEDGE. IN MY BOOK HE WAS THE GREATEST. MUCH LOVE CORA GILKEY AND FAMILY.
Dear Judy and family, Let us extend our heartfelt condolences. We are so shocked and saddened to read Tom’s obituary. God bless you all. Kathy and Corky Knock
I wish to extended my deepest sympathy to the Meredith family. You do not know me but Dr. Meredith was my husbands Dr. for 20 years and also was my inlaws Dr. He gave us advice when our granddaughter was ill. We loved that man and felt he was the most wonderful Dr. and always so kind and thoughtful. I know you will all miss him. I feel so sad for you all. May God BLess each and every one of you.
Dear Judy and Family, I was so sorry to learn of Tom’s death. I can only imagine what a difficult time this must be for you. I know you have many wonderful memories of Tom. Hold fast to those wonderful memories. They are a permanent part of you and will always be there for you to enjoy. How proud you must be of his significant contributions to the medical community. He touched so many lives and left such an enduring legacy. His strong legacy continues to live on in all those he touched and in his family as well. His spirit will continue to strengthen and sustain you. I’ve fond memories of him. He was a man of such compassion. He had a reserve, a poise, and a presence about him that garnered respect from all who encountered him. He will be missed by many. Know that you and yours are in my thoughts and prayers. Fondly, Jinx Saggau Moore
I first met Dr. Meredith in January of 1975, when he drove his rusty old Gremlin to the 8 chair unit located in the Pavilion (down the street from St Francis hospital). Over the next two years, I found that Dr. Meredith was a truly ‘unique’ person; not only an extremely dedicated and intelligent physician, but more so, a kind and caring person to his patients. He was no different than you or I. When Hazel N. (an extremely sweet ‘little ole lady’ died, I went up to Dr. Meredith and told him how sorry I was to here about Hazel. Tears appeared and he could do nothing more than shake his head. I remember one day when one of his patients began to get sick (i.e., vomit) while on dialysis. He nearly ran to the nursing desk calling for help. Even though a Vietnamese patient could not understand a word he was saying, he would go over to him and in a loud and slow voice, would ask, ‘How are you doing?’, at which point Dr. Meredith would give them that notable ‘Tom’ smile (you knew he was smiling but it was difficult to see due to the overgrown fuzzy upper lip of a moustache). The patient would smile back and nod his head. The next week, Dr. Meredith would do it all over again. His penmanship was that of a doctor. If you were to have problems understanding it, you simply had to read it by ‘mumbling’ as though he was saying it himself. His ‘Hoooooo troops, how ya doing’ was echoed through out the dialysis unit over and over. He had a soft, rolling way of speaking and always managed to get a ‘Lordy’ or two in there somewhere. He came in the unit one night beaming with the fact that he had traded in his Gremlin for a new Jag. A few weeks later, he told me that his son helped chamois his new Jag, just like he saw Dad doing. The only problem is that the chamois he used was sandpaper. Someone once said that there are 7 life changing events that help to form who we are. Knowing Dr. Tom Meredith was one of those moments for me. From the first day I met him in 1975, until just a couple of months ago when he visited the Acute Department at St. Francis, he always greeted me with ‘Hoooo Ross, how ya doing’. He would usually have a story to tell and would want to know how things were going in the dialysis unit. He was a truly unique person. I would like to thank his family for sharing him with his patients and coworkers. I know there was a lot of time spent away from his family on those ‘on-call weekends’ and late night emergent trips to the hospital. I’m sure that was not easy, but the rest of us appreciated it. I know Dr. Meredith will be missed, but not forgotten. ‘Lordy, Lordy, Tom has left us . . . ‘.