May 2017
The COASTAL STAR
Obituaries
Dr. William Paul Luke
GULF STREAM — William Paul Luke, M.D. , 89, passed away peacefully on April 25 at home in Gulf Stream, succumbing to Lou Gehrig’s disease, which he had fought for 15 years. Not a record, but he tried. He was eased on his way by his loving caregivers and friends of many years, Alicia Prado and Amanda Liptak, and son David. He is survived by his three children, David, Hunter and Laurie; daughter-in-law LuAnne Luke and son-inlaw David McCaskey; along with Hunter’s sons, Griffin and Dawson, and Laurie’s daughters, Sarah and Morgan. They all will miss him, as will nieces Judy and Debbie and nephew Richard; and his four stepchildren, Sandy, Hans, Donna and Andrew, whom he considered as his own. He was a proud grandfather of seven step-grandkids and loved all mentioned equally and well. He was predeceased by wives Joey and Joan, father William, mother Lenora and his sister Yvonne. Dr. Luke led a great life with a gentle enthusiasm for all that he endeavored, and his huge heart was apparent to all so fortunate to be called friend or co-worker. He was sure to bring a smile to all whenever or wherever he encountered them. Though he achieved much and was honored by many, his greatest joy was the happiness and success of others. He led a life of love, thoughtfulness, generosity and compassion and the world is a shade less bright without him. He was so lucky to have had two phenomenal women as his wives and with them he shared his many milestones, both personal and professional. Upon graduation from the Boston University school of medicine, he set forth on his professional adventures. He joined the staff of Cape Cod Hospital, where he held positions of chief of surgery, chief of staff and a position on the board of directors. As a member of the board of regents at Boston University he was instrumental in the establishment of the residency program at Cape Cod Hospital. This all occurred while he was busy as a partner in
Susan Eileen (McDonald) Norton
Cape Cod Surgical Associates, which he had formed with his great friend John McVey and soon included Sepo Rapo, Rich Lewis and John Scarpato. They all later established the Cape Cod Vascular Laboratory. Toward the end of his career on the Cape and beyond, Dr. Luke spent time for many years with Sepo Rapo in the jungles of Nicaragua assisting in the treatment of the native population in a MASH-type hospital, which the staff could reach only by small plane. To stay busy later he joined the staff at the Toronto General Hospital at the invitation of good friend Dr. Griff Pearson as a visiting professor of surgery. He would do this for many years even after retiring to Florida with Joan. Dr. Luke had many interests and hobbies in which he fully immersed himself. Among them was sailing. He and friends started the Cape Cod Cruising Club and he participated in many of the famous Figawi races on Cape Cod. Flying also ranked high (he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis while getting his instrument rating). Croquet was a passion he shared with Joan and they donated funds to build the croquet lawn at the St. Andrews Club. He was particularly proud to be elected to the Croquet Hall of Fame in 2010 as one of 103 members. Never one to sit idle, he spent his final years teaching himself to build museumquality ship models, some of which took up to a half year to complete. He was very active in the ALS community and lobbied Congress for funding when he was still able to travel to Washington and personally conducted voluminous research on his own to understand the disease. A memorial service was held May 2 at Lorne and Sons Funeral Home, 745 NE Sixth Ave., Delray Beach. Dr. Luke will be interred on Cape Cod surrounded by his family at a later date. In lieu of flowers, make donations in his name to the ALS Association Florida Chapter, 3242 Parkside Center Circle, Tampa, FL 33619.
By Emily J. Minor BOYNTON BEACH — Susan Eileen (McDonald) Norton, whose good manners and slight frame often belied her stubbornness, true grit and power on the tennis court, died last month after fighting a rare cancer that showed itself last May, subsided just long enough to offer hope, then returned in March with a vengeance. She was 55. “She never complained,” said her sister, Kathy Baffer, who lives in coastal Delray Beach. “She always wanted to fight this, right to the end. Now she’s our guardian angel.” A Florida girl through and through, Mrs. Norton grew up in Boca Raton and attended Saint Andrew’s School with her twin brother, John III, and, later, Kathy. She was always athletic and loved competition, her sister said, performing on most of Saint Andrew’s varsity teams and once setting a record for the 5K run. Besides tennis — the two sisters loved to play doubles — Mrs. Norton was an accomplished golfer. She also loved the quiet of gardening. After leaving Boca Raton in 1979 to attend Meredith College in Raleigh, N.C., the former Susan McDonald came back to Palm Beach County, where she launched a successful career with Arvida selling real estate. In 1989, she married Dr. Stephen Norton, a dentist she met through mutual neighborhood friends. The couple had three children — Stephen, 25, and twins Emily and Gregory, 23 — all three of whom are now studying at the College of Dental
Medicine, Nova Southeastern University. As the children grew, Mrs. Norton turned her attention to the kids, her husband’s dental practice and her physical fitness. Patients knew her as the smiling officer manager, always reassuring, her dog, Zeuss, tucked at her feet. Mrs. Norton ate well, exercised and had a strong faith. So when she got sick last May with angiosarcoma, a cancer that affected her heart, it was particularly jarring, her sister said. “She was always just so full of life,” Baffer said. “We all knew she was going to beat this.” Mrs. Norton’s family spent months researching the best treatments. Her brother once flew her from the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio to a specialty ward in Houston. There, she lay in ICU for far too long. But after chemo treatments in Houston, she returned to the family’s home in Pine Tree Country Club Estates and was able to enjoy many weekends with her husband, children and dogs at the family’s retreat on Lake June. Baffer said her sister was feeling relatively well until early March, when complications began to pile up. She died April 4, her last rites administered by a favorite priest. She was buried in a small cemetery near the family’s Lake June home. Besides her husband, children, sister and brother, Mrs. Norton is survived by many nieces and nephews. Her parents, Millie and John, preceded her in death. The family asks that memorial donations be made to the Sarcoma Foundation of America, which can be found online at www.curesarcoma. org. The family has long been members of St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church.
— Obituary submitted by the family
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