Eric Birger Wilson's Obituary
Eric Birger Wilson
May 7, 1938 - November 18, 2018
Eric was born and raised in the small southern Illinois town of Carrollton. He spent his summers growing up in northern Wisconsin at Towering Pine's Camp for Boys, a spot that always held a special place in his heart. He enjoyed all sports and especially playing point guard in high school. Also while in high school, he built a hydroplane in his basement and raced stock outboard hydroplanes for 10 years while in college and medical school.
Eric attended the University of Illinois (Urbana) for college and (Chicago) for medical school. He interned at Milwaukee County Hospital where he followed a pretty nurse from the cafeteria to her nursing station. He married Marilyn (who he affectionately called Sugar) 8 months later in 1964. He served 2 years in the Army stateside during Vietnam as a general medical officer. He then completed a residency in radiology at University Hospital Madison. He was an instructor after residency and had a fellowship at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Washington. He moved to Oshkosh to join Radiology Associates of the Fox Valley in 1970.
Eric felt blessed to have grown up in a medical family, with a general practitioner father and a surgeon brother. He viewed deliveries at an early age and surgical procedures even earlier. As a child, Eric went on house calls in the country with his father who would explain illnesses, treatments and the possible outcomes to him as well as societal blessings and disparities. He felt lucky to have experienced firsthand the evolution of medicine and chose radiology, as it touched all medical fields. During his career, the specialty of radiology added CT, MRI, ultrasound, and PET scanning. He enjoyed the rapid fire of new developing technology and was instrumental in Mercy Medical Center being the first in the Fox Valley to have all of these technologies.
Always interested in the early diagnosis of breast cancer, Eric started the Mercy Oakwood Breast Center, after several years of planning including study at the Susan G. Komen Breast Center as well as additional education in Sweden. Mercy Oakwood (later renamed Phyllis Leach) Breast Center was the first full service center with stereotactic biopsy and ultrasound in NE Wisconsin.
Eric became intimately involved in mobile radiology services, and was instrumental in starting a statewide mobile CAT scanning service in Wisconsin. Eventually, mobile MRI and mobile mammography were added with scanners throughout Wisconsin and several other states.
He was president of Shared CT services, the Wisconsin Radiologic Society, Winnebago County Medical Society, and Mercy Health Foundation. He was on the Board of Directors of Firstar Bank/Oshkosh, the Oshkosh Chamber, Lourdes Academy, Boys and Girls Club, and HMO of Wisconsin. He was councilor to and Fellow of the American College of Radiology and Chief of Staff at Mercy Medical Center. He was chairman of the American Cancer Society (Wisconsin) breast cancer detection awareness project and received the Wisconsin Medical Alumni Distinguished Service Award for his extracurricular activities. He was a Clinical Assistant Professor of Radiology at University Hospital Madison for 12 years.
Eric took the most pride and joy in his family. As a husband and father, he was always present and made things fun... playing games, bringing home sweet rolls on Saturday mornings, taking Sunday morning drives and many family vacations. Eric loved the company of others and was a generous and genuinely kind person to everyone he met. He had many friends and was particularly fond of his radiology partners. Eric loved to host gatherings and was a high energy "funster" who was the life of the party with a quick wit, funny story and contagious laugh. Some of his favorite things included morning coffee, cheeseburgers, ice cream, who-done-it shows, country music and technology of all sorts (especially his i-phone).
Beginning with his first trip to Europe with his parents on the Queen Elizabeth ocean liner, Eric became a world traveler visiting over 70 countries in his lifetime with his wife and children. Eric was also a lifelong learner who attended medical conferences even after retirement and further took many on-line courses in varied topics including all aspects of world history.
Eric is preceded in death by his parents, Arthur and Gudrun Wilson and numerous dear friends. He is survived by his wife Marilyn of 54 years who "did all the real work of childrearing and household duties", son Andrew, daughter Amber, son-in-law Bary Morgan, and grandchildren Nicholas, Mikayla, and Alexandra Morgan. He is further survived by his brother Stuart Wilson, sister-in-law Marianne, nephews Doug, Greg, Chris, Scott and Josh, as well as his many morning coffee buddies in both Oshkosh, WI and Naples, FL.
Eric's family will host a party to celebrate his life, at a later date to be determined.
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