Dr. Wilhelmina Paula "Wil" von Wolzogen Kuhr Beck

Our Lord needed a doctor in Heaven and called Wil to be with him on Friday, March 7, 2014. For her family and friends, she was so much more than a great doctor. She will be missed.Memorial services will be 11:00 AM Saturday, April 12, 2014, at First Presbyterian Church with Dr. Edwin Cooley, former pastor, Rev. Jim Friedewald, pastor, and Nancy Ruff, commissioned lay pastor, officiating. Cremation and arrangements are under the direction of Carmichael-Whatley Funeral Directors. Dr. Wilhelmina Paula “Wil” von Wolzogen Kuhr Beck was born April 13, 1924 in Bandung, Dutch East Indies as the youngest child and only daughter of Jules Emile Antoine von Wolzogen Kuhr and Catharina van Katwijk. She went two years to the elementary school in Bandung and continued her education in Holland after her father retired and the family repatriated to Holland in 1934 when she was 10 years old. On their way to Holland, the Kuhr’s stopped by to see their family, the van Katwijk’s (Catharina’s brother, Paul), in Dallas, Texas. That’s where Wil met Uncle Paul’s nephew, Curt Buxton Beck. She went to high school in The Hague, graduating in 1942 after which she enrolled in the Medical Faculty of the Rijks University in Amsterdam. However her studies were interrupted after three months following the German invasion and occupation of the Netherlands. In 1945 she resumed her studies at the Rijks University in Utrecht and graduated with a medical degree in 1950 followed by her internships in 1952. She was a resident in the Children’s Clinic in Amsterdam and accepted a job with the Amsterdam Health Department in 1954 and worked as a school physician. In 1957 she married Curt Buxton Beck and settled in Pampa, Texas. This was followed by the birth of the three children: Curt Emile (1958), Anna Catherine (1960) and Paul Buxton (1962). When Paul started school in Pampa, she started work on getting her Texas medical license. She obtained this in 1970 and joined the Pampa Clinic’s Drs. Bellamy and Brown in Family Practice. Wil was the first women doctor in Pampa. After Dr. Brown died and Dr. Bellamy retired she continued in solo practice, keeping many of the clinic’s industrial accounts. In 1978, she served the newly created Hospice of Pampa, later named Hospice of the Panhandle as volunteer medical director. She closed her medical practice in 1990 but kept her position with hospice until after the merger with BSA. For many years, she was Gray County Health Officer and a Local Medical Consultant for the Texas Rehabilitation Commission. She was on the medical staff of the Worley Hospital, Highland General Hospital, and later, the Coronado Hospital. Wil’s active professional memberships included the AMA, TMA, AAFP, TAFP, Top o’ Texas Medical Society, American Academy of Palliative and Hospice Medicine and the American Humane Society. For many years, she served as a Cub Scout Den Mother and a Girl Scout Browny leader – both activities she loved. She served on the Board of Columbia Medical Center in Pampa and the Board of the Community Concert Association, the Samaritan Counseling Service’s Satellite Center, St. Matthew’s School, and a member of Twentieth Century Allegro Study Club among many other civic organizations. Additionally, she was always supportive of Curt’s many civic activities throughout their 54 years of marriage. Wil’s greatest love, outside of her husband, children, and grandchildren were her pets. Too many to name, but they ranged from her most beloved horses and dogs, to cats, parrots, rats, and even an alligator. She loved animals and has many waiting for her at the Rainbow Bridge. There are many people in Pampa that will fondly remember Wil riding her horse out by the Kelly Corral. Wil is survived by her three children: Curt and his wife Rhenalea and their three children, Kelsi (26), Austen (24), and Kaylen (22); Anna and her husband Kelly and her children Erin (23) and Sara (21) and stepchildren Carly (24) and Taylor (18); and Paul and his wife Carol and their children Gregory (19), Steven (17), Catie (12) and Jessie (10). Over the past years, Wil has received very special and loving care from a number of caregivers. Her family would like to express their deepest appreciation to LaVern Fulton, Kandy Soliz, Rolanda Bowman, Brandi Soliz, Natalie Santacruz, Sherry Bolch, Tommy Henson, and Jim Sinyard. The entire Beck family wishes to thank all for their loving condolences and best wishes during this difficult period. For those who would like to donate in honor of Wil, we believe she would have preferred donations to the Pampa Animal Welfare Society, P. O. Box 2095 Pampa, Texas 79066-2095 or the First Presbyterian Church, 525 N. Gray, Pampa, Texas 79065.