Dr. Robert W. Wilmott

It is with our deepest sorrow that we share that Dr. Robert William Wilmott, age 75, passed away in St. Louis on Sunday, May 19, 2024, after a long and courageous battle with cancer. Bob lived an accomplished and full life as a distinguished pediatrician, professor, researcher, and university administrator, and as a loving husband, father, and grandfather.

Bob was born in London to Bill and Rose Wilmott on September 12, 1948. His father was a WWII veteran of the Royal Navy and an electrician by trade, and his mother spent her career at a chemical factory, rising from secretary to office manager and eventually one of the directors of the company. Bob grew up in Willesden and Neasden in Northwest London with his sister, Rosemary, and attended Kilburn Grammar School.

From an early age, Bob showed great interest and aptitude in the sciences. He was the first member of his family to attend university, and he earned his medical degree from University College London in 1973. Bob found himself drawn to pediatrics, and his kind, compassionate, soft-spoken nature made his chosen specialty a perfect fit. As a pediatrician, Bob dedicated his life to treating children suffering from respiratory illnesses, particularly cystic fibrosis. In addition to his medical degree, he received a research doctorate from the University of London with a thesis on the impact of allergies on those suffering from cystic fibrosis. Early in his medical career, Bob was a fellow at London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital in the Pediatric ICU, where he met the love of his life, Cathryn, who was a nurse at the time. Bob and Cathy were married at Westminster Cathedral on December 12, 1981.

Bob first crossed the pond for a rotation at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in 1977, where he would return after his marriage to Cathy. In 1986, Bob left CHOP for an academic position at Wayne State University in Detroit, and from 1989 to 2001, Bob served as the Director of the Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Allergy and Clinical Immunology at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. In 2001, Bob moved to St. Louis, where he was named Chairman of Pediatrics at Saint Louis University Medical School and Pediatrician-in-Chief at Cardinal Glennon Hospital. Over the next two decades, Bob provided exemplary leadership, first in this role, then as Dean of Saint Louis University Medical School and Vice President of Medical Affairs, the position he held from 2019 until his illness. Bob took the reins at a pivotal time and skillfully shepherded the medical school through a difficult accreditation process and the tumultuous first years of the COVID-19 pandemic. Bob was also a mentor and teacher to many physicians, as well as the author of many scholarly works; among other things, he served as an editor of the Journal of Pediatrics for 18 years and as principal author of Kendig and Wilmott’s Disorders of the Respiratory Tract in Children, which remains an authoritative textbook of pediatric pulmonology.

Throughout his life, Bob always found time to enjoy multiple pursuits outside of work. He was an avid equestrian, SCUBA-certified diver, saxophonist, skier, and traveler. He and Cathy combined their love of travel and their dedication to providing care to those less fortunate with many medical mission trips to Belize. Bob’s friendly demeanor and genuine enthusiasm for his hobbies ensured that he made lifelong friends, no matter what he was doing. And whether in Philadelphia, Detroit, Cincinnati, St. Louis, or London, Bob and Cathy, along with their four daughters, always maintained a warm and welcoming home filled with music, laughter, good food, and lively conversation.

At the end of 2020, Bob was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer). Despite the grim prognosis, Bob showed incredible strength and courage as he underwent lengthy and difficult surgical procedures, chemotherapy, and radiation treatment without complaint or self-pity. His unwavering optimism and strength of character were an inspiration to those around him. Bob’s determination was matched by the excellence of his medical care team at the Siteman Cancer Center. Working with them, Bob successfully fought to give himself and his family the gift of time: three and a half high-quality years in which he could welcome another grandchild, walk his youngest daughter down the aisle at her wedding, attend doctoral degree graduation ceremonies for two daughters, and renew his vows with Cathy in Cornwall in the presence of loving family and friends.

Bob is survived by his wife of 42 years, Cathryn Wilmott; his sister, Rosemary Wilmott; his four daughters, Jenny Wilmott (Adam Seehaver), Francesca Wilmott (Jim Stanley), Gina Reed (Nick Reed), and Annabelle Wilmott (Chad Cover); his five grandchildren, Audriana Gomez, Oona Stanley, Wilder Reed, James Stanley, and Clementine Reed; his aunt, and many dear nieces, nephews, and cousins; numerous grateful patients; and countless friends.

Visitation will be held Thursday, May 23rd from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm at Toedtmann & Grosse Funeral Home, Hermann, where funeral services will follow at 1:00 pm.  Burial will be at Hermann Cemetery.

A memorial service will be held at 1:30 pm on Wednesday, May 29th at St. Francis Xavier College Church in St. Louis, Missouri.

In lieu of flowers, the Wilmott family suggests donations to: 
Cardinal Glennon Children's Foundation
 
Dr. Robert Wilmott IMMUNO Chair in Pediatric Research fund
 
Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation