Dr. Topp, Gentle Giant Of Virginia Mason

William Leon Topp's booming voice could be heard through the hallways of Virginia Mason Hospital, according to his family.

But the imposing man, while strict and demanding, also could be tender, whether cultivating his private rose garden, or cradling an infant in his huge hands.

"You could almost call him a gentle giant," said his daughter Cindy Masin of Mercer Island. "He was a big man with a booming voice and could be intimidating. But he was a teddy bear . . . kind to everyone from the janitor to other physicians.

"He treated everyone with respect so he commanded respect."

Dr. Topp died of kidney failure Monday (Feb. 3). He was 79.

The Seattle native, who graduated with honors from Garfield High School, worked hard to get what he wanted, his daughter said. He sold newspapers and magazine subscriptions on a street corner to help his family and pay for his education.

At age 15 he enrolled in pre-med studies at the University of Washington, earning his undergraduate degree in 1936. He earned a medical degree with honors at Washington University in St. Louis, then served as an Army flight surgeon in the Middle East in the 1940s.

Dr. Topp kept a daily log of that tour, titling it "Topper Takes a Trip" after a humor novel of the day.

He returned to Seattle in 1946, set up a practice in obstetrics-gynecology and surgery, and referred patients to Virginia Mason. Over the next 35 years he delivered more than 7,000 babies - or four a week.

"On his 75th birthday, we had a surprise party at his office and hundreds of patients, many of them third generation, showed up all day," his daughter said. "It meant a lot. His patients absolutely adored him. He did all those things doctors used to do, such as making house calls."

Dr. Topp, who enjoyed travel and photography in his free time, was president of the Virginia Mason medical staff and of the International Family Planning Society. He also had belonged to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine and the Pacific Coast Fertility and Sterility Society.

Other survivors include his wife of 50 years, Elise Topp of Seattle; his daughters Diane Cheifetz and Julie Faison, both of Mercer Island; and Kathy Fishman, Bellevue; and five grandchildren.

Services are at 11 a.m. tomorrow at Butterworth's Arthur A. Wright Funeral Home, 520 W. Raye St., Seattle.

Remembrances may go to the Northwest Kidney Foundation, P.O. Box 3035, Seattle, WA, 98114; or to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Western Washington chapter, 192 Nickerson St., Suite 100, Seattle, WA, 98109.