William "Bill" Cheek, M.D.

Dr. William "Bill" Cheek, died Sunday, the 3rd of January 2021, after a long battle with Parkinson’s. He was born on the 26th of December 1927, in Springfield, Missouri, the only child of his father, William Virgil Cheek, and his mother, Fadra Hall Cheek.

He completed medical school at Washington University in St. Louis in 1951 and performed a year of surgical internship at Yale University prior to spending two years on active duty in the United States Navy, Marine Division. Following his military service, he spent several years on a research fellowship with Roger Guillemin, a Nobel Prize Winner in Medicine, and an endocrinologist at Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Cheek then completed his neurosurgical residency at Baylor College of Medicine, and Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, followed by an additional year fellowship at Columbia University in neuroradiology.

He then returned to the Texas Medical Center and Baylor College of Medicine in 1960, where he established his neurosurgical practice, primarily at St. Luke’s and Methodist Hospitals. He eventually began consulting on patients at Texas Children’s Hospital and soon developed a firm interest in the care of children. In 1972, he founded the Department of Neurosurgery at Texas Children’s Hospital and became its first Chief of Service, which made him the first dedicated Pediatric Neurosurgeon in Houston. He was Chief there until his retirement from surgery in 1992, although he continued to make weekly rounds and attend meetings until he was physically unable to do so. He assumed various leadership roles within the American Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery - ASPN, and served on the American Board of Pediatric Neurosurgery from its inception until his retirement. He, along with other founding members of the ASPN, put together a textbook entitled Pediatric Neurosurgery: Surgery of the Developing Nervous System, and he then oversaw the publication of its companion text, Atlas of Pediatric Neurosurgery.

At Baylor College of Medicine, he was Clinical Instructor, Clinical Assistant Professor, Assistant Professor-Department of Neurosurgery, Acting Head-Division of Neurological Surgery, Assistant Professor-Department of Pediatrics, Professor of Clinical Neurosurgery.

He was also an avid golfer, and was a member of Champions for many years, and then River Oaks Country Club. He played strictly by the rules, and enjoyed being the rules official at some of the major tournaments at River Oaks. After retirement, he also became a volunteer rules official with the South Texas Golf Association, The U.S. Golf Association, and traveled to many different cities and states to work with the tournaments. He was a golf club maker and had his own setup in his “man cave”. He made clubs not just for himself, but donated clubs to others/many children, as well, who might not have been able to enjoy the game without his clubs. He and Mary traveled annually for many years to Scotland to play golf on the “real courses”, as he liked to say. He was a kind and gentle man, even though he had a booming voice that could make anyone jump to attention. He was a member of St. John the Divine Episcopal Church, and was invited early on to join the choir to use that voice that was always right on key, but could never find the time to commit.

He is survived by his wife, Mary, of 32 years; his daughter, Laura Cheek Cutter and her husband Scott; his son, William L Cheek and his wife Lori; stepdaughter, Patti Chambers Kohler; and grandchildren, Patton Cutter, William and Alison Cheek, and Rachel and Sarah Bauerlein.

His wife, Mary, would like to thank his caregivers, Taiye Adedapo and Rosinah Ekwere, who treated him as family and gave him the best care that anyone could ever ask for.

Due to current COVID restrictions, a celebration of his life will be postponed until his dear friend, the Rev. Dr. Michael Bunce, is able to travel here from the U.K. to be a part of the service.

In lieu of customary remembrances, the family requests with gratitude that memorial contributions in Dr. Cheek’s name be directed to Texas Children’s Hospital, P.O. Box 300630, Houston, TX 77230; St. John the Divine Episcopal Church, 2450 River Oaks Blvd, Houston, TX 77019; or Washington University Medical School, One Brookings Drive, St. Louis, Mo 63130.

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