Obituary: John Edward Dooley M.D.

Dr. John Dooley died peacefully on Sunday, one week after the funeral service of his beloved wife, Carol.

He left this world surrounded by his children and their spouses. John was a resident of St. John’s on the Lake in Milwaukee for the last 10 years of his life; before that he lived in Shorewood and Whitefish Bay. He was an active parishioner at St. John the Evangelist Cathedral.

John was born on October 12, 1926, the youngest of five children born to Edward and Ruth Dooley. He attended Marquette High School before joining the Navy in 1944 where he served as a corpsman. Following the war he attended Marquette Medical School where he specialized in Internal Medicine and then Gastroenterology. John did his internship at New England Medical Center in Boston, his residency at Yale University and his Fellowship at the University of Chicago.

In 1962 he joined the medical staff of St. Joseph’s and St. Michael’s hospitals and opened his practice on Silver Spring Drive in Whitefish Bay with a nurse and receptionist. Today the practice he founded and was so proud to be associated with, GI Associates, is a highly-respected group of 60 plus committed and caring professionals. During his career, John was proud to serve as the President of the Milwaukee Gastroenterological Society as well as Chief of Internal Medicine at St. Joseph’s Hospital. He was also involved in medical education, mentoring residents and serving as Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at The Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.

John believed that part of his calling was to care for the less fortunate. He was passionate about providing medical care and nourishment to those in need. He volunteered tirelessly at St. Ben’s Clinic and the Open Door Café at St John’s Cathedral. In 1996 he was recognized by The Catholic Herald as an outstanding volunteer.

John’s first wife, Martha, was ill for many years and during that time he was an exceptional father to his three young children. He was widowed in 1976 and subsequently married the remarkable Carol Caldwell, forming a family with six children ages 13 to 20.

Anne Dooley Wittenberg (Kurt); Mark Alfred Buchman (Louise), Joshua Thomas Buchman (Tracey), Mark Patrick Dooley, Rebekah Buchman Barsch (Brian), and Elizabeth Dooley Crane (Morgan). He is further survived by seven grandchildren; the joys of his life: Christopher Wittenberg (Emily), Daniel Wittenberg, Caitlin Wittenberg, Samuel Buchman, William Buchman, Caleb Barsch and Chloe Barsch, as well as numerous close friends.

John was predeceased by his two brothers and sisters. He was a loving uncle to his brother Ed’s four children Edward, Lynn, Patrick and Cathy. John also remained very close to his brother Father William Dooley, S.J., a professor at Marquette University. They enjoyed rooting for the Marquette Warriors and Green Packers together.

He was a true Renaissance Man. He loved classical music and traveled extensively with his wife across Europe and Russia. As a young man, he spent a year traveling through Spain and had a life-long appreciation of Spanish culture. He and his wife created a tradition of celebrating Christmas Eve with the customs of a country they had visited together.

He was a deeply spiritual, ethical and prayerful man. He loved autumn, walking in the woods and caring for others. He saw God’s hand all around him.

To all his children, grandchildren, and nieces and nephews he was a source of inspiration on how to treat others with respect, dignity and kindness.

Visitation will be held on Wednesday from 4 to 6 p.m. in the Arium of the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, followed by the Mass of Christian Burial in the Cathedral at 6 p.m. Interment will be private in Holy Cross Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial in John’s name to the Open Door Café or St. Ben’s Clinic Milwaukee.

(Courtesy of North Shore Funeral Home)