Ocracoke Islander Dr. Frederic Ballard Westervelt Jr., 91, died April 16.
He was the husband of Ernestine Meyer Henry Westervelt.
Born June 11, 1931, at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, D.C., he was a son of the late Dr. Frederic Ballard Westervelt of the U.S. Army Medical Corps and Elizabeth Ziegler Westervelt.
He attended George Washington University for three years then entered the University of Virginia Medical School and graduated in 1955.
He did his internship at the Cleveland Clinic followed by two years of service in the Army Medical Corps returning to UVA in 1959 where he met his wife of 62 years, and on June 18, 1960, they wed.
He spent two years as a fellow in nephrology at Georgetown University, serving under Dr. George Schriener, one of the earliest nephrologists. Westervelt returned to UVA where he served one year as chief medical resident at the hospital.
The following year, he joined the UVA medical school faculty and taught medical students and later started a fellowship program for post-doctoral concentrations in nephrology.
While at UVA, he developed one of the first ever in-house and outpatient dialysis programs, became the first chief of Nephrology and Dialysis Services and worked closely with surgeons to provide the pre- and post-surgical care of organ transplant patients at the University of Virginia.
He established a training program for nephrologists and specialized nurse practitioners, was active nationally in establishing organizations for nephrology, dialysis and organ sharing, appeared before Congress, and was instrumental in the establishment of the federal program for the care of kidney patients.
In 1991 he left the University of Virginia to establish his own dialysis clinic, Jefferson Nephrology LLC, and established the dialysis program at nearby Martha Jefferson Hospital also in Charlottesville.
While medicine was his first passion, he loved to fix things.
He and Ernie renovated a 200-year-old farmhouse when his children were young, said daughter Karoline (Kari) Styron of Ocracoke. “When he wasn’t at the hospital, he was puttering around, or working on one of his many old cars: the 1929 Ford Model A, the 1960 Willis Jeep Truck, and his baby, the 1940 Buick which was often seen on the island in the July 4th parade or at the old car show.
“Growing up I always felt loved and special, and he and Mom always took the time to come to my volleyball matches in high school and at UVA. It meant a lot to see them in the stands, knowing how busy life can be even with college-age kids.
“Once they moved to Ocracoke, they were at most home games for both grandkids — volleyball, basketball, baseball. He loved sports of all kinds.”
Westervelt retired in 2000 and after selling his home on Milton Farm, he moved to Ocracoke where he was active in local organizations while he and Ernie owned and operated the former Cove Bed and Breakfast.
In addition to Ernie and Kari and her children Samantha and David III, he is survived by a son Frederic (Ric) Westervelt III and children Elizabeth and Pyper, and several nieces and one nephew.
A private memorial service will be held later.
Because of his love for teaching and learning, the family has set up a scholarship fund at Ocracoke School in his name to help students who choose to pursue higher learning at a four-year college or university, community college or trade school.
Donations can be sent to the First National Bank on Ocracoke at PO Box 458, Ocracoke, NC 27960 in Fred’s name.
