Wilfred Harold Weltge

WELTGE, Wilfred Harold, age 89, of Oakwood, Ohio passed away Wednesday, August 6, 2014. Wilfred was known as "Bill" to his family and friends. He was born to the late William B. and Elsie (nee Niedringhaus) Weltge in 1925 in Du Quoin, IL. His family moved to St. Louis, MO, where he attended Shenandoah Elementary School and graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1942. Wilfred began his college education at Elmhurst College in Chicago where he also played baseball. He then matriculated to Washington University in St. Louis prior to entering into service for WWII. Bill had an interest in flying, so he enlisted in the United States Navy and began training for the Naval Air Corp. His officer's training and education took him to Princeton University and Columbia University where he graduated as a young Naval Officer. He served as the Flight Deck Officer aboard the USS Yorktown Aircraft Carrier CV-10. After the war, Bill entered medical school and graduated with a Doctorate of Medicine in 1951. It was at Washington University that Bill met a young nursing student, Gwendolyn Bodnam. They fell in love as students, graduated together and were married one week later. They started their lives together in Cincinnati where Dr. Weltge began his Internship at Cincinnati General Hospital. As a young physician, he entered into service in the Korean War as a U.S. Army Medical Officer, serving his country honorably for a second time. He returned to Ohio after the war and completed his medical training as a General Surgeon. Bill and Gwen decided to make Dayton their home and settled in to start their family. Dr. Weltge entered into private practice and served his patients primarily at St. Elizabeth Medical Center. He had the privilege of serving thousands of patients and their families throughout his career and did so with a deep sense of honor, integrity, and excellence. He was well known for being on the leading edge of surgery, dedicating extra time to patients, and for donating his expertise to those in need. He also greatly enjoyed his fellow physicians, nurses and coworkers that made St. Elizabeth an extended family. Dr. Weltge had a deep passion and innate talent for healing through the art of surgery. He was also an avid teacher of his trade and a very distinguished member of many medical and surgical boards and associations. Bill's passion for the arts extended to his hobbies including painting, drawing, reading and writing poetry, carved wood and stained glass, his love of clocks, and fine food. He also had a deep appreciation for God's creatures and loved all of his pets dearly. However, his deepest passion was for his family, Gwen and the children. Bill was a truly devoted husband, father, grandfather, and he loved traveling the world with his family. He was preceded in death by his parents, The Reverend William B. and Elsie Weltge; a sister, Ruth W. Rasche; a brother Carl F. Weltge; his in-laws, Brinley O. and Fairy Bodnam. Dr. Weltge is survived by his loving wife of 63 years, Gwendolyn (Bodnam) Weltge; his daughter, Cindy W. Beyoglides (Harry) of Vandalia and their daughter Sara; his sons, Craig W. Weltge (Donna) of Dallas, TX and their children Evan and Jessica; Brian R. Weltge (Elise) of Washington Township and their children Addison and Arden; and Bradley S. Weltge of Washington Township and his children Payton, Wm. Grant and Merritt; his sister, Dorothy Zink of Warren, MI; his brother, Ralph Weltge of Philadelphia, PA; and numerous nieces and nephews. Services will be held Saturday, August 16th at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Dayton at 11:00 am. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Humane Society of Greater Dayton, 1661 Nicholas Road, Dayton, Ohio 45417 or to Hospice of Dayton, 324 Wilmington Avenue, Dayton, Ohio 45420. The family would like to thank Kettering Medical Center and Hospice of Dayton for their care.

Funeral Home:
Kettering Routsong Funeral Home
2100 E. Stroop Rd.
Kettering, OH
US 45429