Dad's obituary
This obituary appeared November 2, 2016 in the Cheyenne Tribune-Eagle.
Eric J. Wedell, M.D., 76, died Oct. 29 at Davis Hospice Center.
Eric James Wedell was born Sept. 26, 1940, in Princeton, N.J., to Carl H., Ph.D., and Elizabeth (Garvin) Wedell.
He was raised in Madison, Wis., where he graduated from West High School in 1958, from the University of Wisconsin in 1962 and from the U. of Wisconsin School of Medicine in 1967. He married Maïda McIlroy of Oberlin, Ohio, on Feb. 4, 1967, in Oberlin.
From 1967-1971, he completed one year of internship, two years of internal medicine residency and one year of endocrine fellowship at the University of Vermont, Burlington. He served in the U.S. Air Force for two years, from 1971-1973, at Richards-Gebaur AFB, Mo. He completed his medical training with a second year of endocrine fellowship from 1973-1974 at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.
Dr. Wedell moved with his family to Cheyenne in 1974 to begin his 32 years of private practice in internal medicine and endocrinology with the Internal Medicine Group, P.C. He was a physician member of the American Diabetes Association and served a term as president of its Mountain States Region. He spent a term as chief of the medical staff of the former Memorial Hospital, and was either a member or chair of numerous medical staff committees. He was a Fellow of the American College of Endocrinology, and a Fellow of the American College of Physicians. He served the latter as Governor of the Wyoming Chapter of the ACP from 2009-2012.
After retirement in 2006, Dr. Wedell volunteered for the Cheyenne Community Clinic and the Wyoming State Health Department. He was a registered lobbyist with the Wyoming State Legislature, working on various health-oriented issues. He had been a member of the Rotary Club of Cheyenne since 1981.
Dr. Wedell was an active member of First Presbyterian Church, where he served as both an ordained elder and an ordained deacon, as well as in other capacities. He had just completed a term, 2013-2016, as Moderator of the Presbytery Council for the Presbytery of Wyoming.
He was a classical musician by avocation and played cello with the Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra for 10 years. His other instrument was his tenor voice, and he sang with the Cheyenne Chamber Singers, of which he was a charter member, the Capitol Chorale and his church choir.
Dr. Wedell’s outdoor interests included hiking, camping, backpacking, downhill skiing, cross-country skiing and bicycling. Following his retirement, he participated in the Tour de Wyoming bicycle ride eight times. He enjoyed photography and loved traveling the world with his wife. His was a life very well lived.
He was preceded in death by his parents; and by a stillborn infant daughter.
He is survived by his wife, Maïda; his son, Carl (Heather Loch) Wedell of St. Paul, Minn.; his daughter, Allison (Dan) Schumacher of St. Paul; his granddaughter, Teagan Schumacher of St. Paul; and his stepgranddaughters, Erica and Noelle Johnson of St. Paul. He is also survived by his sister, Barbara (Tim Boylen) Bailey of Sun Prairie, Wis.
A memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at First Presbyterian Church, 220 West 22nd Street, Cheyenne.
Cremation has taken place, with his ashes to be spread in his beloved Wind River Mountains.
Memorial donations may be sent to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society; Davis Hospice Center, c/o CRMC Foundation; First Presbyterian Church; Cheyenne Chamber Singers; Cheyenne Botanic Gardens; or Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra Foundation.
