Seattle Native Dr. John Codling, Delivered At Least 10,000 Babies
Paul Codling says he can't go anywhere in the Northwest without running into someone who says "hey, your dad delivered me."
Not all that surprising, considering conservative estimates are that Seattle native Dr. John Codling delivered 10,000 babies in his years as an obstetrician in the city.
Dr. Codling collected photographs of those babies, keeping them in books and boxes in the Hood Canal home to which he moved after his retirement in 1973.
Dr. Codling died New Year's Eve, having fought a rare neurological disorder for years. He was 84.
A former chief of staff at Providence Hospital, Dr. Codling was instrumental in the establishment of the heart center there.
Dr. Lester Sauvage, the director of the Hope Heart Center and a colleague of Codling's for more than 20 years, said his interest in medicine extended far beyond his chosen field of obstetrics and gynecology.
"He had a broad vision," Sauvage said. "I truly believe that had he not been chief of staff then the heart center might not have been started. He had the vision to see what could be accomplished in other fields."
Codling's son Stephen described his dad as a "half-a-ring-sleeper," ready to hop out of bed at anytime to deliver a baby.
Although his practice was officially over when he retired from Providence in 1973, Dr. Codling did not give up medicine, becoming what he called "the cuts and bruises" doctor for the region.
Dr. Codling was an avid water skiier since the 1950s. With his family, Dr. Codling could sometimes be spotted skiing in tandem across Lake Washington or with the whole family up on skiis.
"He was an absolute nut about water skiing," said his son Paul.
Dr. Codling also took up scuba diving at age 60.
He was determined to protect his beloved Hood Canal from environmental damage.
Throughout his retirement, he conducted a letter-writing campaign to the editors of The Shelton Herald, urging restraints on building on the canal. He suggested a solution to keep the waters clean to former Governor Dan Evans: post a patrol boat at the canal's opening to seal off the toilets on any boats headed south.
Dr. Codling remained active in community affairs, serving on a disability review board for Mason County, and up until two years ago attending every weekly meeting of the county commissioners.
He served on a committee that reviewed building permits for all structures on the Hood Canal shore.
Dr. Codling graduated from Queen Anne High School at age 16, then went on to study pharmacology at the University of Washington. After working for a few years as a salesman for Parke Davis, Dr. Codling decided he wanted to continue his education, attending medical school at the University of Oregon.
He served in the Army for one year after finishing medical school, then returned to Seattle to start his practice.
He is survived by his wife, Marie, of Belfair, Mason County; three daughters, Anne Peterson of Seattle, Marian Mullally of Seattle and Colleen Johnson of Belfair; three sons, James, Paul and Stephen, all of Seattle; nine grandchildren and a large extended family, including eight step-children.
He was preceded in death by his oldest son, John, and by his first wife, Mary Olive.
The family suggests remembrances to Lazarus Center, 165 S. Washington St., Seattle, WA 98104.