Winston C. Dudley Obituary
salem, Oregon, United States
January 26, 1923 - January 14, 2017
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Winston C. Dudley Obituary
Jan 26, 1923 - Jan 14, 2017
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Winston C. Dudley, MDJanuary 26, 1923 - October 14, 2017SALEM - Winston C. Dudley, M.D. passed away on Saturday, October 14th, at the age of 94.He was born on January 26, 1923 in Tirumangalam, South India. He was the first of 4 children of Raymond Augur Dudley, and Katharine C. Dudley, who were Congregational missionaries at that time. At around age 6 he went into boarding at Kodaikanal Christian School located at the 7000 ft level in the Palani Hills, a range of mountains paralleling the west coast of South India. Although he found himself to be extremely homesick at first, he would recount fondly to his young family years later his outings around "Kodai" on his bicycle, on boats in the lake and hiking in the mountains around them. After his high school graduation, he came back to the United States and attended Oberlin College in Ohio until entering the Navy in 1943. As a Navy Lieutenant, Junior Grade, he commanded four Higgins Landing craft boats in the Pacific Theater aboard the USS Montour. His ship was prepared for the assault on the main Japanese Islands when the war ended. He then was assigned as a member of the Allied Occupation forces in Japan until his return to the United States and discharged in 1946.Following his Navy service, he returned to Oberlin College to complete his pre-medical school requirements. It was at this time that he met his future wife, a pretty blonde named May Hanning who was pursuing a double degree program in the Conservatory of Music as an organ major with Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Music degrees. They married in April, 1949 and moved to Baltimore, Maryland where he completed his MD at the University of Maryland. He then finished residencies at 2 Baltimore City hospitals. Following his residency training, he moved his family, then consisting of wife May, son Eric, and daughter Carol, to Salem where he practiced at the Oregon State Tuberculosis Hospital in Salem for 2 years. He then opened his own practice in Internal Medicine in 1961. Daughter Lynne was born in 1962. He retired from private practice and worked for several years for the State of Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles as a medical examiner, retiring fully 8 years later.Winston (called Wink by friends and family) enjoyed many leisure pursuits. He also played varsity soccer in college, and had a short stint on their baseball team. However, tennis was his major sport, a passion he acquired while in India and that he would enjoy most of his life, well into his 80s. This enthusiasm would rub off on his daughter Carol who also played tennis for years. He would eventually be a founding member of the Salem Tennis & Swim Club, though he was disinclined to enter the Club's swimming pool because he found the water to be "too wet". He was a member of the Salem Termites, a group of retired physicians who shared a love of woodworking. He would also develop a love for classical music, travel and reading biographies. He was a long time member of the Institute for Continued learning (ICL) at Willamette University with May, and for years after her passing. He felt that attending ICL fueled his interests and gave him purpose after Mays death.Wink was noted for his wry sense of humor, and unwavering dedication to his family. He especially loved the musical activities that May pursued with great diligence and artfulness in the Salem area, particularly in her capacity as the Director of Music at St. Paul's Episcopal Church for a quarter of a century. He dedicated the Brombaugh organ in the chapel at St. Paul's in appreciation of his wife and children.He enjoyed traveling with May to such places as Europe, India, Frenchglen, Ashland and many places in between. To say that he enjoyed driving his various vehicles around Oregon, especially in his later years, would understate the matter.He lived at Capital Manor since December 2015 where he especially enjoyed the company of his friends Bob and Jo Beckman.He is survived by his son Eric G. Dudley, DVM, (Mary Kay Elfman) and daughter Carol D. Dalton, OTR/L (Brian), son-in-law Ike Samples, (daughter Lynne, deceased), sister Constance Rumely, brother Robert Dudley, (Louise), sister-in-law Anna Carol Dudley, and four grandchildren (Ben, Rebekah, Ryan and Lauren).Memorial services will be held at some future date. Memorial contributions may be made to the May H. Dudley Memorial Music Fund at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Winston's name (St. Pauls' Episcopal Church at 1444 Liberty St. SE, Salem, OR 97302). Assisting is Virgil T. Golden Funeral Service.
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