Warm Beach Senior Community Celebrates the Legacy of Mark E. Spencer, M.D.
— Friday, March 27th, 2009 by Lorraine Durham
“He is very compassionate and all our Warm Beach residents love him!” shares Denise Roberts, of Warm Beach Nursing, speaking of Dr. Mark E. Spencer. For twenty-four years Dr. Spencer has taken a special interest in his patients at Warm Beach Senior Community in Stanwood, Washington. It was during grade school that Mark Spencer would accompany his father, Dr. Edward Spencer, on medical visits near Sitka, Alaska. His father’s dedication would make an inspiring impression on his young son which led Dr. Mark Spencer to follow in his footsteps. Dr. Spencer graduated in 1978 from the University of Washington Medical School. After his residency, he served in the Navy in Guam from 1982-1984. Deciding to settle down in Arlington, Dr. Spencer joined the medical staff at Cascade Medical Associates, which later became Cascade Family Medical Group, now an affiliate of Skagit Valley Medical Center. Soon after beginning his practice, he elected to take an opportunity to become a visiting doctor to Warm Beach Senior Community. He also became board certified in Geriatrics. The entire nursing staff enjoys working with him just as much as his patients appreciate his care. “If I had to tell you one story about Dr. Spencer that sticks out in my mind, it was when we went to see one of his Alzheimer patients, a resident in the Warm Beach skilled nursing center, and she didn’t remember him. It was the first time I ever saw him cry. He was very close to her and her husband. It was probably ten years ago, and I still remember it like it was yesterday. It humanized him for me,” shares Laura Hofmann, Director of Nursing, Warm Beach Senior Community.
Dr. Spencer’s daughter, Corrin Chatterton, who also works at Cascade Family Medical Group, takes delight in sharing some fun facts about her father. Dr. Spencer helped with the founding of Hands of Love nine years ago in which volunteer medical teams make mission trips to serve in providing much needed healthcare to poor countries. Each year Dr. Spencer makes the annual trip to care for those in need and has been to Guatemala, Haiti, El Salvador, El Salvador, and Papua New Guinea. Besides providing medical intervention, Hands of Love also makes a positive difference in those communities by achieving special projects on each trip which provide gifts of water wells, feeding stations for school students, or goats that produce milk and cheese. For more than twelve years, Dr. Spencer has participated in Youth Dynamics golf marathon, a fundraiser benefitting Northwest youth. He shows his dedication each year by playing one hundred golf holes in a day to raise donations.
Dr. Spencer took time to answer these key questions pertaining to his physician call at Warm Beach. What makes him keep coming back to Warm Beach? “I’ve developed wonderful relationships with the staff and residents in the Warm Beach Senior Community. Many of these people have become close friends as well as colleagues and patients. It’s been a privilege to know several of the saints of the church in their later years and be able to help them in some of the trials and tribulations of the last years of their lives.” What may attract other doctors to Warm Beach? “Working with seniors is something that some people enjoy and others do not. Selfishly, I’m not sure I want to share this special treasure with too many more.” How does Dr. Spencer’s work benefit Skagit Valley Medical? “We as a group are committed to providing for our community and the Warm Beach seniors are definitely an important part of our community."
Since the newly popular Wii game came to Warm Beach Senior Community, Dr. Spencer loves to play Wii for clinic health assessments. Warm Beach is definitely thankful for the blessing and enrichment Dr. Mark Spencer adds to the lives of those around him, and we are assured he will leave a lasting legacy.