Lake Tapps’ Dr. Donald Weber retires after

44 years as a family physican

The waiting room at Lake Tapps Family Medicine was crowded wall-to-wall June 28. But no one seemed to mind.

Instead, patients and staff, numbering near 100, came to honor the June 29 retirement of Dr. Donald Weber, known to locals as the doctor who cares.

“He cares, period,” said Dave Leon of Puyallup, a 37-year patient. “He listens to you. He wants you to tell him what’s wrong, not him telling you what’s wrong. Besides, he’s my friend.”

While tribute upon tribute poured in from the clinic’s nearly 100 guests – including staff and patients both past and present – Weber in turn paid tribute to his guests. It’s the way he’s practiced medicine since earning his degree in 1964 from the University of Washington Medical School.

Weber began his career as an intern at the Fresno County Hospital after graduation. In 1965 he moved to Sumner, where he started a medical practice at 1518 Main St. with Drs. John Kanda and John Kemman.

He remained there until 1980 and then opened Lake Tapps Family Medicine with the help of his two sons. He sold the building to one of his associates, Dr. Lila Day, in 2000.

In his 44 years as a family physician, Weber said he performed several surgeries and delivered approximately 1,500 babies. He’s also seen a lot of changes in the profession during his career.

“I went from ‘cradle to grave’ care, where I would take care of 90-plus percent of the patients and their problems, to probably 40 percent; and referrals would be 60 percent for deliveries, surgeries or cardiovascular problems,” he said. He also saw the rise and fall of health maintenance organizations.

“I started the year Medicare was implemented and noticed the change in attitude from self-suffiency to more of a government-dependent attitude,” he said. “When the HMOs came in it markedly changed the practice of medicine, as people no longer had a choice of doctors and went according to their insurance and where they would pay for them to get their care.

“As a consequence, some would continue to call or ask me who I should refer them to,” he continued. “Several came back because they received uncomfortable care, so the HMO slowly pretty much disappeared.”

Despite the changes, one thing remained constant: the attention he offered.

Kristin Evans is one longtime staff member who said she came to love and honor Weber. His nurse for 27 years, she decided to retire the same day as Weber. “I’m not going to even think about my last day,” she said. “I’m just going to try to get through it.”

Making her retirement even more difficult was knowing she’d worked with a remarkable man, she said.

“He’s a real people guy,” Evans said. “His patients just love him and he cares. Plus, he’s just a really good doctor!”

Dora Root was one of the doctor’s first patients 43 years ago. At the party she praised him for his characteristic bedside manner.

“I like his humor,” she said and then gave Weber an appreciative hug.

The feelings were mutual.

“She brought sunshine into this clinic every time she showed up,” he said of Root.

Evans agreed.

“We’d see Dora’s name on the schedule and know our day would be special because Dora and Lloyd were coming in,” she said. “They were on the A-list.”

Equally, Weber was on others’ A-lists after going the extra mile. Especially when it came to making house calls to patients such as Buckley’s Dorothy Chenaur, a friend of both the doctor and his wife, Marny since childhood. “He came to visit me when I had complications from a surgery,” she said. “He gathered me up, put me in his car and took me to the hospital. He is so very caring and has a wonderful bedside manner.”

With a farewell to his patients, Weber looks forward to his retirement – a goal since undergoing a triple bypass surgery in September.

“One of the most difficult things I ever had to do was say, ‘Marny, call 9-1-1,’” he said of the scare.

For now, he’s traded his appointments for those that include playing the piano and hitting the greens at Linden Golf Club, where he’s been a member for 42 years. “The best handicap I had was 12, but I’ve had 10 aces and that’s very unusual,” he said.

He’s also looking forward to spending more time with Marny, his five children, 18 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren, he said.

He also hopes to continue his travels with Marny who together serve as elders at Sumner Presbyterian Church and have shared several mission trips together.

“We love to travel,” he said. “We love to be ambassadors through our church. We’ve gone on several mission trips to Honduras, Alaska and Mexico; we’ve built a church, a home, done repair work and general medical work.”

With a full schedule like that, Weber still believed adaption to the retired life won’t come without regrets.

“I’m going to miss the people and caring for them – the fulfillment of the greatest profession on earth,” he said. “There’s nothing quite like helping people to help themselves and doing it for them when they’re not capable.”

Or, like guests Vernon and Georgia Kohout said, “We were so glad you took us in when you heard we didn’t have a doctor.”

“It was my pleasure,” Weber replied.

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