Peter McNamara Obituary

Dr. Peter Joseph McNamara, the father of Durango resident Karen McNamara Carver, died Monday, April 22, 2013, in Milwaukee. He was 84.

Dr. McNamara was born Dec. 10, 1928, in New York City of Irish immigrant parents Matthew and Mary (O'Malley) McNamara. He graduated from Xavier Academy, Fordham University and New York Medical College and went on to complete his internship and residency at Kings County Hospital in New York City.

In August 1957, he married Dorothy Gober in New York City.

Dr. McNamara received post-graduate training in gastroenterology from the Lahey Clinic in Boston and moved to Milwaukee in 1958. He developed a large private practice and was one of the first interventional gastroenterologists in the city.

He retired from medicine at age 79, but remained an active member of the Milwaukee Gastroenterological Society.

Outside of medicine, Dr. McNamara enjoyed the performing arts, exhibits and lectures, astronomy and outdoor activities, including skiing and water sports. When he was young, he was an avid sports car enthusiast. A conservationist who led by example, his family said, he planted thousands of trees on his property, recycled and reused, and commuted by bike from Mequon, Wis., where he lived, to work in downtown Milwaukee.

Dr. McNamara was a longtime supporter of the Milwaukee Public, Art and Discovery museums, The Schlitz Audubon Center, Riversedge and the State Historical Society. He was a founding and lifelong member of the Rite-Hite YMCA in Brown Deer, Wis.

Dr. McNamara was preceded in death by his wife of 42 years, Dorothy (Gober) McNamara; and his firstborn grandson, Peter Carver.

He is survived by his daughters Karen McNamara Carver of Durango and Beth McNamara of Port Washington, Wis.; son, Peter McNamara Jr., of Madison, Wis.; sister, Barbara O'Toole; two grandchildren; and numerous extended family members.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. today, May 11, 2013, at Lumen Christi Catholic Church in Mequon, Wis. Visitation will be held for one hour before the Mass at the church. Private burial will take place at Resurrection Cemetery in Mequon.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Special Olympics Wisconsin, 2310 Crossroads Dr., Suite 1000, Madison, WI 53718.