- Date Of Death: August 28, 2019
- State: Indiana
Wilbert Washington, M.D.
February 6, 1932 – August 28, 2019
Wilbert Washington was born at Brickyard Point in Beaufort, South Carolina in February of 1932. He was the eldest child of Joseph and Alma Washington and had three younger sisters, Dollie, Della and JoJo. Wilbert, or Buster as he was called, lived at Brickyard Point-an area on the intercostal waterway off the Atlantic Ocean- during his formative years. His mother made a pact with him allowing him to avoid chores if he spent his time reading and studying.
It was at Meharry where he met Lyvonne Mackel whom he later married in Chicago. Two sons were born to this union, Wilbert II, now an attorney practicing in Washington, D.C. and northern Virginia, and Phelgar, an ophthalmologist in Indianapolis.
In 1963 the family settled in Indianapolis. Wilbert began his medical practice on Capitol Avenue and was the first African-American ophthalmologist in the city.
Wilbert was a life member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity and the NAACP. He was also a member of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, The Indiana State Medical Association and The Society to Prevent Blindness, where he served as president from 1978-1981. He was an active member of the National Medical Association, serving as the national vice-president and an Emeritus Ophthalmologist in the National Medical Association Ophthalmology Section. Wilbert was a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and a member of the Aesculapian Medical Society. Wilbert and Lyvonne were members of Mt.
“Wilbert/Buster/Doc” was preceded in death by his loving wife, Lyvonne Mackel Washington, his parents Joseph and Alma Washington, sister, Florence (Dolly) Williams and his dear friends William and Lois Washington.
Left to cherish his memories are his sons, Wilbert II and his wife Susan, of Reston, VA, and Phelgar and his wife Renee, of Indianapolis, IN; granddaughters Rae Robinson Trotman and Campbell Washington; great-grandson Lucas Trotman; siblings Alma Washington of Beaufort, SC, and Odella Washington Royster, and her husband James, of Baltimore, MD; uncle, Rudolph White of Beaufort, SC; brother-in law, Audley M. Mackel, Jr. of Chicago, IL; sisters-in-law, Audrose Mackel Banks of Mumford, NY, Gwendolyn Mackel Rice of Chicago, IL, and Marilyn H. Mackel of Marin City, CA; and countless nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.
