Weldon John Cooke, MD

Weldon John Cooke, MD, passed away on December 7, 2022. Weldon was born on July 27, 1927, in Oakland, CA to Robert and Mrs. Olive (Montgomery) Cooke. He went on to graduate from high school and then went to Wheaton College. At Wheaton College, he met and married Frances Willard, and they were married for 32 years. At the end of WWII, Weldon joined the U.S. Army, where he served two years. After this, he obtained his medical degree from Northwestern Medical School, and subsequently did an internship at Cook County Hospital and a surgery residency through Hines General Hospital in Chicago (Loyola University).

Weldon worked as a general surgeon at Berrien General Hospital, Berrien Center, MI. Later, he founded the Southwestern Medical Clinic. Since then, hundreds of physicians have joined. Southwestern Medical clinic had medical missions as a primary focus, and through it, he taught new surgical techniques to numerous missionary doctors when they came home on furlough. Weldon also took many missionary trips to Haiti, where he worked in a small hospital, at times accompanied by one of his four sons, who all later became physicians, as did 10 of his grandchildren.

Weldon moved to Michigan City, IN, in 1980, after marrying Mary Wadsworth. Here, he later opened a walk-in medical clinic, Med-Watch, which still operates today. He retired in 2017, at the age of 90, after practicing Addiction Medicine in LaPorte, IN.

Weldon was an active member of the Berrien Center Bible Church for 20 years. Later, Weldon and his wife, Mary, were integral parts of the Seventh Day Adventist Church in LaPorte, IN. His faith also influenced how he lived and practiced medicine through the years. Weldon is preceded in death by a brother, Robert Cooke; and a sister, Almarose (Cooke) Wordon. He is survived by his wife, Mary Wadsworth-Cooke; and his four sons, John (Azita) Cooke of Sanford, FL, James (Terri) Cooke of Atlanta, GA, David (Jeannette) Cooke of Berrien Springs, MI, and Daniel (Becky) Cooke of Granger, IN. He is also survived by his stepsons, Phillip (Laura) Wadsworth and Dale (Joy) Wadsworth, both of LaPorte, IN; fourteen grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 12:00 p.m. (CT) on Sunday, January 8, 2023 at Seventh Day Adventist Church, La Porte.

A time of visitation will be held from 4:00 p.m. -7:00 p.m. (CT) on Saturday, January 7, 2023 at Cutler Funeral Home and Cremation Center and from 11:30 a.m. until the time of the service on Sunday at the church.

Memorial donations may be made to the Door Prairie Adventist Christian School (DPACS), 1480 Boyd Blvd., La Porte, IN 46350.

Condolences may be shared with the family on www.cutlercares.com.