Passed away January 7th, 2022.
Richard “Dick” Kelsey Tompkins Jr, III., MD, was born in Denver, CO, October 25, 1940 to Richard and Lillian Tompkins. He passed away peacefully on January 7, 2022 at his residence in Issaquah, Washington at the age of 81.
At the age of six, Dick moved with his family from Denver to Mexico City. In his teen years, Dick followed his father’s footsteps and attended boarding school at South Kent School in Connecticut (where he later served on the Board of Trustees), graduating in 1958. He attended undergraduate school and medical school at the University of Colorado with a focus on internal medicine, obtaining his MD in 1965. He did his residency at Cleveland Metropolitan General Hospital and later was a research associate at the National Heart and Lung Institute (laboratory of biochemical genetics). In 1970, he served as Chief Resident in Medicine at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Hanover, New Hampshire. He later went onto be an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine at Dartmouth. In 1975, Dick and his first wife, Lucy, moved to Seattle, WA, where he was the Chief of the Department of Health Services Research at the U.S. Public Health Service Hospital. In 1981, he moved to Pacific Medical Center where he served as the President and Chief Executive.
In 1985, Dick married Bryna Webber in Seattle. He and Bryna moved back to the east coast in 1988 where Dick launched and grew a successful healthcare consulting business which he ran for over 10 years. He later returned to Seattle where he worked half-time in a geriatric medicine practice which allowed him to travel widely and pursue another passion: photography. His photography passion was passed on to his son, Chris, and grandson, McKinnon, and his photos of people and places will keep his memory living for decades to come.
Dick enjoyed learning, adventure and supporting key philanthropic organizations. Dick loved food, travel, friends, art, music, sports, and laughter. Skiing, hiking, tennis, scuba diving and enjoying the outdoors with his camera were among his favorite activities. He pushed his passions to the limit, and, he was intense in his pursuits.
While Dick led a successful life, he cherished his time with family and friends. He shared all his passions with his second wife, Bryna Webber, for nearly 40 years. Dick is survived by Bryna, his children Chris Tompkins, David Kugler, Rachel Anderson (Steve), Jason Omenn (Amy), and 12 grandchildren.
Memorial contributions be made to South Kent School 40 Bulls Bridge Road South Kent, CT 06785