William (Bill) Fowkes, MD, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Medicine, Stanford University died peacefully at home on January 31, 2026 at the age of 95.  

He was born in Los Angeles, California in 1930 to parents Jane Elizabeth Fowkes (nee Porter) and William Charles Fowkes, Sr, DDS, who were both active as a professor and inaugural ombudsperson in the School of Dentistry at University of Southern California.

Dr. Fowkes received his formal education and training at Stanford completing an undergraduate degree, medical education, residency in internal medicine, and fellowship in cardiology.  He became board certified in Internal Medicine and Family Medicine and achieved certification with added qualifications in geriatrics. He served as a flight surgeon in the Air Force receiving a medal of commendation.

He felt a strong calling to medicine from a very young age and devoted his professional life to practice, teaching, and improving health care.

He practiced internal medicine and cardiology in Mountain View and served as founding director of the Coronary Care Unit at El Camino Hospital.  Returning to Stanford, he served as Heart Disease Director for the Regional Medical Program and Director of the General Medical Clinic. In 1977 he founded the San Jose Family Medicine Residency Program and established academic affiliation with the newly created Division of Family Medicine at Stanford. As part of the residency, he founded Outreach Medical Group where residents and students could learn about care for elders in skilled nursing facilities.  He was known for his outstanding clinical expertise but also as a dedicated teacher and mentor for countless residents, students, and community faculty receiving numerous teaching awards. In the last years of his career, he served as a hospice medical director working closely with dying patients. He received an award from Pathways Hospice honoring his leadership and lifelong dedication to compassion, dignity and humane care at the end of life.  His book entitled “Prolonged Death-An American Tragedy” received widespread attention as did his co-authored cited framework for cross-cultural health education. Equally important, Dr. Fowkes was passionate about teaching and service for medically underserved communities serving on numerous professional and community boards during his long career.

In his personal life he took great pleasure entertaining others through stories and song, providing musical dance skits in summer theatre, singing and playing in his Banjo Band, and making artisanal bread. Family and friends harvested many treats from his prolific vegetable garden and his large green house.

He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Virginia Kliner Fowkes, his sister-in-law Beverly Abbott,  his children Steven Fowkes, Darcy Fowkes and husband Michael Levay, Robert Fowkes and wife Roberta Rinearson, Kenneth Fowkes and partner Yumiko Ready, Richard Fowkes and partner Sophie Zhong,  Dale Fowkes and wife Natalie, David Fowkes and wife Nicole Mazziotti; his nieces Dawne Fowkes and husband Jeff Cushing and Laurie Fowkes-Walton; grandchildren Katie Fowkes, Cari Levay and husband Eric Nguyen, Morgan Seelenfreund and husband Eric Seelenfreund,  William Robert Fowkes and wife Kathleen Gens, and great-grandchildren Faith Bainbridge, Niev Levay- Nguyen, and Clementine Fowkes.

He was preceded in death by his parents William and Jane, his brother Don, first wife Jean French Fowkes and their son Thomas.