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Community came first for dentist

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Donald Fowler

ORFORDVILLE — Most graduates coming out of dental school aren’t eager to set up clinics in small communities.

But not Donald Fowler.

When the Brodhead native graduated from Marquette Dental School in 1978, he wanted to start his practice near home. Fowler was busy from day one when he opened his practice in August 1978 in Orfordville, said his wife, Vonda Fowler.

Since then, Fowler’s dedication to the village of about 1,400 could be seen in his work with patients and his support for local student organizations and teams, friends said.

Fowler, 55, died Monday at University Hospital in Madison from what doctors think was a pulmonary embolism after having a pacemaker put in, Vonda said. While Fowler was diagnosed with cancer in 2004, a stem cell transplant was successful, and the cancer likely wasn’t a factor in his death, his wife said.

When he wasn’t working, Fowler often could be found golfing or hunting grouse.

He was an especially good grouse hunter, his wife said, and the Thanksgiving meal often included “grouse strips—like chicken strips,” Vonda said.

His death is a huge loss for the community, not only because he was the only dentist in town but also because of his dedication to his patients’ care and his willingness to support students, said Debbie Speich, a patient of Fowler from the start.

“I’m not sure anyone can ever fill his shoes in this community,” she said.

With no one interested in taking over the practice, Vonda said she is working with officials to close the office. Patients will be mailed information on how to forward their records.

“He had been trying to fill it,” she said. “It appears young kids coming out (of school) don’t want to practice in small towns.”

Fowler’s two sisters, Wendy Oliver and Laurie Kettle, worked as receptionists in the office.

“It’s really what you would envision as a small business in a small town,” said Craig O’Leary, executive vice president of Farmers & Merchants Bank.

The few local businesses in Orfordville often are approached by student groups for fund-raising support, and Fowler had a hard time saying no, O’Leary said.

“He really had a soft spot for helping them (students),” he said.

“It’s a great loss to not only his patients but to the community,” Speich said.

FUNERAL SERVICES

Visitation for Donald Fowler is from 4 to 8 p.m. today at the D.L. Newcomer Funeral Home in Brodhead. Services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Congregational United Church of Christ in Brodhead with burial in Avon Community Cemetery, rural Brodhead.