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Tell us about him/her. Dr. Walter R. Thayer, Jr., 92 of Riverside, died peacefully surrounded by family and loved ones on January 8 at Roberts Health Centre in North Kingstown. A life-long resident of Rhode Island, Dr. Thayer gained prominence as one of the nation’s leading experts on Crohn’s and other gastrointestinal diseases. He served as Head of the Gastroenterology Department at Brown University Medical School and Chief of Gastroenterology at Rhode Island Hospital (RIH), where he started a Gastrointestinal Residency Program, in partnership with Brown. He held his positions at both Brown and RIH for 30 years and was also a much-loved and respected professor at Brown Medical School. Upon his retirement in 2004, he was proud to cut the ribbon at the Walter R. Thayer Inflammatory Bowel Disease Laboratory at RIH. As stated by U.S. Senator Lincoln Chaffee, Dr. Thayer has been described as “the father of gastroenterology in Rhode Island, someone who is a masterful teacher and had great love for his patients.” Dr. Thayer was a strong supporter of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation and was recognized by the New England Chapter of the Foundation as Humanitarian of the Year in 2001. He had a well-deserved reputation as a caring and empathetic doctor to the thousands of patients he treated. He conducted significant research into the root causes of and treatment for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, seeking remedies to reduce the pain of people suffering from debilitating gastrointestinal maladies. He proudly trained hundreds of young doctors to excel in the field of gastroenterology with a particular emphasis on the recruitment and support of doctors of color, understanding that the expansion of diversity in this vital field could have a great impact on the treatment of patients across all cultural and ethnic communities. Walter is survived by his daughter, Ida-Marie Thayer Jonsen, her husband, Eric, and their three children, Kaitlyn, Jeremy and Michelle, each of whom provided Walter with one great-grandchild, respectively Walter, Jack and Theo. He is survived by his son, Peter, along with Peter’s wife, Elizabeth and his daughter Coral. He is also survived by, Brenda Melone, who Walter loved as another daughter. Walter’s beloved son, Walter III, died in 1980. Walter is survived by his sister, Barbara Thayer Monaghan, and Barbara’s husband David, and by several step-children. He is also survived by many nieces and nephews, three of whom went on to become doctors themselves, and three more who are currently in medical school. All of them gained both inspiration and passion from Walter’s long and distinguished career. He was pre-deceased by his parents, Walter and Esther Thayer, his sisters, Nancy Thayer Meehan and Marilyn Thayer Cote, and his brothers, Alan and Dale Thayer. Fifty years after he graduated from medical school, Walter’s sister, Barbara, asked him why he chose gastroenterology as a specialty. He remarked that he was so glad that she asked. He explained that in many of the other specialties he had considered, too often people died. As a gastroenterologist, he could help people to live … and to live better. A memorial service will be held at a future date to be announced.