John Leonard Eaton

Dr. John L. "Len" Eaton joined his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on December 8, 2007. Dr. Eaton had lived in Moline since 1963, and was 81 years old at the time of his death. Dr. Eaton was born on January 6, 1926 in Chicacole, India, the third child of Perry Bowles Eaton and Mary Eliza "Hettie" Hart, who served as medical missionaries with the Canadian Baptist Mission in South India. Len Eaton and his four siblings all graduated as physicians from the University of Edinburgh in Edinburgh, Scotland. Following his graduation from medical school in 1951, Dr. Eaton traveled to the United States and practiced medicine in New York. Len moved to Saskatchewan, Canada in 1954 and joined two of his brothers in general practice. He met Mae (Laxdal) Campbell, a young widow, in Arcola, Saskatchewan, and employed her as his office nurse. Romance bloomed and they were married on June 13, 1959. In marrying Mae, he also adopted her young daughter, Maja. Len and Mae then had three more children: Robert, Ruth, and John. Len moved his young family to the United States in 1961, where he specialized in anesthesiology. The Eatons moved to Moline in 1963. Dr. Eaton practiced with Dr. Bryce Ozanne, Dr. Bill Herath, Dr. Manuel Guerrero, Dr. Stuart Ramsdell, Dr. Ed Millare, and other colleagues in the Moline Anesthesiology Group for 33 years until his retirement in 1995. Len and his wife, Mae, traveled the globe together. In 1967, they returned to Len's former home in India, and continued around the world. This trip was followed by many others, including a safari in Africa with a boyhood friend from India, Peter Grimshaw, and his wife, Faye. Len loved adventure and took up both skiing and scuba-diving in adulthood. Into his seventies, Len was an avid tennis player, and also won the 100-yard dash in the local "Senior Olympics". Len was a man of firm principle and strong faith. He was the gentlest of men and he charmed both his patients and his friends with his empathy and his soft British accent. He and Mae joined the First Baptist Church in 1963, and Len served the church in many capacities, including teaching a bible class for over 20 years. His children and grandchildren adored him, and found in him a model of grace, wit, compassion, and profound Christian love. Len is survived by two sons, Robert (Jill), of Las Vegas, Nevada, and John (Lisa), of Madison, Wisconsin; two daughters, Maja (Ted) Anton, and Ruth (Daniel) Fiedler; ten grandchildren, including Constantine and Marja Anton, Andrew and Matthew Eaton, Robert, Chelley, Luc, and Gwen Fiedler, and Maja and Dylan Eaton; two brothers, Newton (Rae), of Brisbane, Australia, and David (Jennifer), of Worthington, Minnesota; a sister, Ruth (George) Meachim, of Hoylake, England; a sister-in-law, Myrtle (Leicester) Eaton of LaCrosse, Wisconsin; and numerous nieces and nephews in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Europe. Len was preceded in death by his wife, Mae, his parents, and his brother, Leicester. The family will receive friends on Friday, December 14th, from 4 - 8 p.m. at Wendt Funeral Home, 1811 15th Street Place, Moline. A memorial service will be held at First Baptist Church, 1901 29th Street, Moline, at 11 a.m. on Saturday, December 15th, 2007. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to First Baptist Church of Moline, Niabi Zoo, or a charity of the donor's choice.