Leigh Hamilton Stockstill ’57, an obstetrician and gynecologist, died Monday, January 27, 1997, of cancer. He was 61. Leigh practiced medicine in the Roanoke Virginia ‘vally for 28 years, the last three with his son, Kurt. He delivered 5,000- 6.000 babies during his career often seeing the babies grow up to have babies of their own. For 10 years in the late ’70s and early ’80s, he practiced alone, and his devotion to his patients meant making sacrifices. “There Was one stretch of time when he didn’t leave town for two years straight beacouse he was concerned for for his patients .”Leigh and Barbara enjoy lunch at the Greenbrier Restaurant in January 1996” Kurt said. He didn’t ‘want to leave the delivery to a doctor his patients hasn’t seen. In his spare time, Leigh still loved to exercise. He went to the downtown YMCA nearly every day to play racquetball or basketball or to run. He was affectionately known as “Doc at the Y.” Leigh helped raise money for the Y’s youth programs. “He loved the y land donated not just money, but a lot of time,” said Sterling Kane. retried assistant director of the Y. “He touched a lot of lives.” He w as a natural athlete and was a four-year starter on thc OWU basketball team where he played under Coach Bob Strimer.
He had been diagnosed with camccer last spring after a vague pain in his hip. The cancer ,which doctor believe started as a tumer in his abdomen ,had already apread throughout his body .
He had to give up his radical practical two days after the diagno-sia , adifficult but necessary decision.Lenigh is survived by his mother, Annette was preceded in death by his father,the late Frederick M,stockstiil of Dayton, Ohio.Leigh and his wife Barbara Blumer (OEU’58) enjoyed almost 40 years together. Leigh and Barb have four children, dauthters Dr ,Holly stockstiil Lewis and her husband spencer of state college ,Pa ,;Allison stockstill pratt and her husband john of Winston salam,N,C ,:and Dr,Todd F ,stockstill and his wife Melissa of Memphis ,Teen,; and Dr ,Kaur stockstill and his wife laura of Roanoke .There are eight grandchildren.
After learning of his cancer in the spring of 1996 . Length’s1996 goal was to live to enjoy the Christmas holidays with his family and to see the birth of wo grandchildren who were expected at that time . His wish was granted and on December 31,1996,Leigh attended the birth of his grandsonFfrigh Hamilton pratt and “cut the umbilical cord” upon the baby’s delivery to Allison and John .On January 15,1997, just 12 days before his death,Leigh’s grandson Thomas Robert Stockstill was born to Todd and Melissa.
The editors fondly remembers the days on campus with Leigh. He arrived from Dayton Fairview High School in the fall of 1993,following in the step of many other from Dayton –Bob Neff
’53 ;the Boyle twins ,Dave and Doug’55; classmates Dave Crockett ’57, Jerry McNabb ’56, Barry Hass ’59. Brad Born ’58 and others. Leigh was a fine basketball player for the Battling Bishops, starting all four year. He and 1 (and I’m sure many many of the beothers) enjoyed many hours playing ping pong (for blood— he was very competitive) and playing cards with Momma I inn and the brothers. In 1955, Leigh reluctantly took over the reigns of house treasurer (after great urging from the editor) and served in that capasity for one year. He quickly found out that ‘bookkeeping. counting beans and tracking down delinquent payments” wasn’t for him. In fact, that might have helped him dciede to become a doctor! He was an cxcellent student, as evidenced by his career in medicine. He Always had a smile, a great -belly laugh” and often “roared” his approval at the happning around the house. A particularly memorable occeasion occurred in the spring of 1955 when several of us (I seem to recall charlie Ecker ’56, Davies ’56, Dan Rich ’55 and Liegh) piled into someone’s car and headed for king and. After a short visit parents ,annette and fred,we left for cincinnati for an enjoyable evening at crosley field to see a Reds baseball game .It was a long but truly memo-rable day and quite late before we returned to the campas that same night.
In luly before his death, Leigh and Barb returned to Dayton. On that visit to Ohio. Leigh and Barb spent one precious day going back to Delaware for a long-delayed visit to the campus. After they returned to Dayton, Ann and I had the pleasure of meeting them along with Leigh’s mother Annette for dinner at one of his favorite Dayton restaurants. The evening was full of talk about our college classmates and days at Ohio Wesleyan.We shared many good mompries and leigh had his normal “belly laugh,” as we went through a box full of pictures from recent Beta reunions which Ieigh had been unable to attend. He xpressed his strong desire to return to the October 1996 Beta reunion (which he had been unable to do for many years) to renew old acquaint-tances ,but that trip could not be made. After three hours, we said our good –byes and Leigh lett with our prayers. Leighwas sone of those examples of why each of us is so proud to be called a brother. God bless you Leigh and “… thank God you are a Beta.”
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