We remember Fred Roemer
Cook Medical mourns the death of a dear friend and colleague, Fred Roemer. Fred’s dedication and contributions to the development of endourology are acknowledged by many to have been instrumental to the field.
Fred joined Cook’s urological division (at the time known as Vance Products Incorporated) in 1980 as product development and marketing manager. He was named vice president of product development for Cook Urological in 1987. He then served as vice president of ostomy in 1997 and finally was vice president and physician liaison in 2001 until his retirement. His passion to help physicians develop products that would improve patient care was contagious over his 29 years with Cook. To put it simply, Fred’s impact on urology and minimally invasive surgery is unparalleled.
If you have memories of working with Fred, please share them in the Comments section below. We will be compiling a book of memories to share with Fred’s family.
Here are a few photos of Fred over the years:
Remembering Fred Roemer
From Fred’s obituary:
“A lover of life, a man of many interests and talents with a passion to create, he was a man who made friends in all walks of life wherever he traveled. He will be greatly missed as he is so dearly loved by his adoring family and friends across the globe.
Fred is survived by his loving wife of 51 years, Joan A. Roemer, son, Eric K. Roemer, daughters, Anne M. Roemer Sentissi, Melissa D. Roemer and grandson, Garret R. Bohall.”
I think the words of Drs. Ralph Clayman and Arthur Smith serve as a fitting, final tribute to Fred. They penned the following editorial in the Journal of Endourology when Fred retired in 2009.
From the Journal of Endourology:
THANK YOU, FRED
One score and seven years ago, a new form of urologic surgery was brought forth; conceived in kindness and dedicated to the elimination of the woes of open surgical procedures, endourology rapidly evolved. Within twenty years, overcome by the fruits of a technological revolution, open renal surgery was eclipsed by percutaneous, ureteroscopic, laparoscopic, image guided, and robotic procedures. While many urologists deserve immense credit for this miraculous transformation, none of it would have been possible without a small group of dedicated engineers/industrialists who shared the vision of minimally invasive and noninvasive surgery and were willing to commit a large amount of effort, time, and money to what many leaders deemed ‘‘a flash in the pan’’ at that time.
For the two of us, deeply steeped in this nascent specialty, no individual provided more enthusiastic or intellectual support than Mr. Fred Roemer. No idea was too ‘‘crazy,’’ no project too far out on the ‘‘lunatic fringe’’ to be considered carefully. An idea once given to Fred moved rapidly – a decision to proceed or reject was made by his engineering group typically within 2 weeks. Often a ‘‘one-off’’ prototype would appear within a few weeks to be evaluated; at times, Fred and a group of engineers would come and be present during the laboratory work.
From this incubator came a whole host of products including balloon dilators, percutaneous sheaths, specialized guide wires, entrapment sacks, and even a tissue morcellator. We have no doubt that if Fred had not been on the scene, many of our most commonly practiced less invasive procedures would have been delayed for years, much to the ongoing discomfort of thousands of patients worldwide.
At every turn in the road, from the very first endourology courses in Minnesota through the evolution of laparoscopic renal surgery, Fred was there to encourage, support, and help create. He did all of this with a demeanor of committed interest, kindness, and absolute integrity; regardless of the situation, he was ever the gentleman both in manner and speech.
On August 21, 2009, after 29 years with Cook Urology, Fred returned to a quieter, less hectic life, one that we trust will be filled with travel and much happiness for both Joan and him.
Well done Fred . . . we know we could never have done it without you.
– Ralph V. Clayman, M.D. and Arthur D. Smith, M.D.
Published with permission of the Journal of Endourology.
Clayman RV, Smith AD. Thank You, Fred. J Endourol. 2009;23(9):xxiii.
Drs. Ralph Clayman and Arthur Smith are paid consultants of Cook Medical.
Fred was so nice and helpful with everything. When my daughter was having a lot of different test run at Riley Hospital he would tell me things to ask them at one point he even offered to go with us to an appointment. I surprised them asking the questions he had suggested and once they found out where I worked and who was helping me they understood. I could pass him in the hall or see him outside of work and he would always ask “how is our girl doing”. He will be truly missed.
Fred’s smile was so contagious — he always had a smile on his face and cheerful words flowing out of his mouth. He will be missed.
Anyone who has ever had the opportunity to work with Fred knows about the hand drawn birthday cards, which was made even more special because he delivered them to you. Made the day even more special, I still have them all.
Fred was by far the smartest man I have ever met. I was working as a Customer Service Rep. He did the training for all the urology products. He was a great teacher, never thought I would ever learn to say percutaneous nephrostomy set but I did, plus a whole lot more.
Fred was also funny, at times when you least expected it he would stop by or catch you in the hall and tell you some kind of story or a joke; He never made you feel you weren’t good enough to talk to him.
People would ask him Fred every now and then when are you going to retire, He would just smile and say when you see a new Mercedes parked in the parking lot it will be soon. Yep one day there it was.
There are so many memories of Fred they would fill a book. I know Fred must have had his faults but you couldn’t prove it to me.
One of the greatest things that Fred was a FRIEND, I will always think of him with a full heart that has been truly blessed. May you now rest in the arms of then angels, no more pain, no more tears just overwhelming joy with the Lord.
Fred was such a caring man who was always willing to take the time to listen to each and everyone of us one both at a personal level as well as a professional level. When I came to work at Cook Urological in March of 1988 Fred was one of the first to explain how important each of us was to the company, but more importantly the part each of us played in the lives of our patients. Fred was such a wealth of knowledge and he was more than willing to share his knowledge to help build each employee so that we could do our best in the position we held with the company. I too will always remember looking forward to my handmade birthday card every year. Just a small token of the caring man he was. Go rest high on that mountain, your work on earth is done. You were loved by all and will be missed….Cassy Murphy
I have great memories of Fred from my early (very young 🙂 days at Cook Urological in the 90’s. I remember being completely in awe of his passion, knowledge and expertise, especially listening to him talking to physicians in European and American congresses. He had a lovely kind and gentle manner and an amazing ability to come up with innovative and exciting products to help mankind. He certainly made a huge impact and I feel very fortunate to have known him in those early years.
Our thoughts are with his family at this very sad time.
We will miss him dearly.
Fred was the consummate professional. From the first time I met him shortly after he joined Cook, I was taken with his intensity and drive. As much as anyone in the Cook organization, Fred represented our overwhelming desire to assist clinicians in their efforts to care for their patients and develop better methods for treating them.
I was fortunate to work fairly closely with Fred for most of his career with Cook, and he loved what he did. His excitement and enthusiasm was clearly evident, and it both attracted physicians to want to work with him, as well as follow employees to want to be a part of what he was working on. Despite his considerable intelligence and vast knowledge, he was always able to explain medical procedures and interventions in a simple and practical way everyone could appreciate. Fred will always be Mr. Cook Urological in my mind.
I met Fred shortly after joining the team at Spencer. He had a presence about him that was evident. He enjoyed people and especially people he could help each day. One day after one of his product training sessions he conducted I remember him pulling me aside. He was concerned whether his message was getting across to us and he valued my opinion. I told him his knowledge was a valuable resource and his teachings were enjoyed by all since it opened our eyes to many of the procedure our products were used in from the Spencer facility. That is just the type of individual Fred was and how I will always remember him. He will be deeply missed by many.
Fred was always so patient, supportive, and kind to me when I worked IT Helpdesk for Spencer.
I would help him and others with their technology issues; later this would translate into a job as a support technician. His experience, knowledge, and passion for product was shared with all of us. He is greatly missed.
My wife, Barb, and I were immediately welcomed into the Cook business family as well as his own personal family as soon as we arrived at Cook back in 1988. We were made to feel as close personal friends in a very short time, particularly when we moved from Chicago and knew absolutely no one from Indiana. Previously, Indiana was just one big, flat corn field leading to NC to visit my two daughters or to the beaches of Florida on vacation.
Fred would always lighten up the day with his smile and his jokes would make you smile or add a little laughter to your life, which we all need so much desperately more of. Fred was simply a joy to have around in dealing with patients, physicians, engineers or anyone for that matter in preparing patent applications for the Cook companies. If Fred didn’t know the answer, he knew for sure who or where to go to get the answer. What a resource to get the job done and what a friend to brighten your day. He will surely and sorely be missed particularly all those patients who have lived a better life due to Fred’ s dedication and devotion. I know that my days are less bright with your passing, but know that the good Lord is taking exceptional care of you for all the positive effects that you have had on others during your lifetime here on Earth.
Rich Godlewski
When I first came to the US 10 years ago I asked Fred to spend some time with me on balloon dilation as I was looking at a project and wanted his perspective. While talking, he inflated a balloon and when he handed it to me and I was looking at it very intently he purposely over-inflated it with explosive results! That gave him a great deal of pleasure! On occasions he would invite me to play chess and for fear of looking truly stupid, I would inform him my game was backgammon. He would shake his head with that twinkle in his eye that so many of us remember. An innovator, a colleague, a global traveler and a family man, he will be missed by many.
I met Fred shortly after I joined the Cook family back in 2006 at Cook Urological. He was already a legend and I counted myself lucky to have attended one of his product demonstration classes. He will be missed.
My first memory of Fred was in the birthday card he designed for me in my first year. How touching that he took the time, not only to commemorate my birthday, but to design & color a card just for me! How generous he must have been with those much closer. What a unique gentleman. We are fortunate to have been graced by his friendship & deep devotion.
I consider myself blessed to have known Fred. He and Al Rutner always gave me the kindest and most unconditional support and encouragement. I wish I had known the scope of what Fred meant back when I started. As Scully said—he truly embodied the Cook culture and helped preserve and nurture it for generations to come.
When I joined Cook in 2006, Fred was one of the first Cook employees that I got to work with. We spent many hours that summer discussing product usage and development histories. It was obvious to me how passionate he was about improving patient care, and how instrumental his career had been at bringing physician ideas to life. He was a gifted and kind teacher, as well as a true pioneer in the Urology field. We are blessed to have known him.
I first met Fred after transferring to Cook Urological in April of 2007. I worked with him on occasion and was lucky enough to attend some of the product training sessions that he hosted before his retirement. The diverse knowledge he possessed was impressive, making every encounter an opportunity to learn. It was always clear that he had a passion for helping others. He will be missed.
I met Fred more than 25 years ago when I was doing product development work at Sabin (CPT). Fred was always very knowledgeable regarding the urological products and end use. He openly shared each application in depth so the team could understand the importance of every design requirement. His grasp of the market and field of use was exceptional. Combined with his personality, humbleness and concern for patients made working with Fred a true joy. Our company is better because of Fred and we will miss his sincere concern for people. My thoughts go out to his family and friends.
I personally did not know Fred that well, however I always remember seeing him at the Curry Pike plant at that time and he always was so kind and always had the most wonderful smile on his face. You could tell and sense that he had a passion for what he did.
Shelia Helms
I met Fred when I first started at Cook Urological back in 2000. He was always very kind and courteous, and always professional. He was the only person who always came to work wearing a tie. CUI would not have become what it did without him.
He is missed.
I remember Fred for his enthusiasm for innovation. He was passionate to take an idea and rapidly turn it into a prototype for evaluation. This would then generate further ideas to be pursued. Fred was a friend and a mentor.
Shortly after hiring on at Cook Urological in April of 1984, I had the pleasure of meeting Fred. He immediately made a positive impression as a result of his approach toward others. Always interested, respectful, and quick with a joke regardless of position or title of those he engaged. With the utmost confidence, I can say Fred was respected by all Urological employees. One of the many things that Fred would do to further endear himself to employees’ involved birthdays. Upon an employee’s birthday, that employee would find a hand drawn and written birthday note with best wishes from Fred on their workstation upon their arrival at work.
Fred Roemer was a man of integrity and embodied the Cook spirit of “patient first”. His passion to create medical devices was only equalled by his desire to share what he had learned. Fred always took the time to share his wealth of knowledge with any who asked no matter what part they played at Cook. Fred will be missed by his colleagues at Cook and fellow Urology professionals around the world. RIP Fred, job well done.
In the early years at Cook (Urological), one of the things each employee looked forward to was the personalized birthday card that Fred would make for them with the single hand drawn candle on the front and a personal birthday message inside.
Fred was very kind and considerate of others.
He will truly be missed.
Lori L Warner , Cook Spencer
We moved to Bloomington in 1992 and my children began attending Edgewood Elementary in the fall of that year. My daughter became friends with a girl named Melissa Roemer. Eventually she visited the Roemer home and I met Fred for the first time. We never discussed work, mainly our daughters.
I was doing product development for Sabin Corp and one day Fred pops into my office. We were both surprised to see each other and thus began a wonderful relationship. Fred would come to Sabin and we would discuss projects that he was interested in pursuing. I was always impressed with his knowledge of polymers and he was just a wonderful gentleman to work with. He will be missed and I count it a privilege to have worked with him and to have known him outside of work as well!
I will continue to cherish the many fond memories and times Fred and I got to spend together both in the field or in his office in Spencer. Fred, you have left an indelible footprint in the world of urology and in the world of those of us to knew and loved you! God’s speed my friend!
Kevin Parish, CBI
He was a good and honourable man. He was truly passionate in what he did. I learnt so much from him and will always be grateful for the knowledge that he shared with and taught me. He has always been in my thoughts and always will.
I didn’t personally know Fred, however, I wish to send my condolences to the family with prayers of Blessings to come during their mourning.
Fred was truly one of my mentors when I worked in Urology in the 80s. A gentle man as well as a gentleman. He had a formative influence on me. Sad times.
Keith Rowland, UK
Always enjoyed listening to Fred explain how medical devices worked, along with the history of Cook. He did so with such detail and passion. I still miss are lunch time games of chess we had in 07 to 09, I will miss you old man. Bill Norris PSSQC