Stepping lively: retired doctor, 99, keeps on walking

It's a common occurrence on Thompson Boulevard: people see an elderly man walking with a steady, determined gait.

He carries a cane and wears a baseball cap and, on some days, sports full-coverage sunglasses that conceal part of his face.

Many people who see the man slow down, pull their cars over and shout to him, "Are you Dr. Withington?!"

Yes, it is the good doctor. Lawrence F. Withington is 353 days and just thousands of steps away from turning 100.

Don't get in his way.

A determined walker, he goes out twice a day on his route— up to Green Street and down to Myrtle Avenue, about a quarter of a mile. This past winter, discouraged but not beaten by the nastiest weather in years, he mapped out an eighth-of-a-mile route inside his house for his walks.

A Guy on a Bike rode over to his home at 222 Thompson Blvd. during the first spring day when the sun finally had a determined feel to it, that it was back, ready to make a difference to our snow-shocked souls.

Dr. Withington's walks keep him in shape and give him a reason to greet each day.

He greeted his guest in the second-floor den of the home he's owned since 1946. Classical music played in the background, and rays of sun spilled in from the south-facing picture window. Dr. Withington's sneakers were laced and he was ready to go walking, having completed his floor stretches and squats earlier.

But first, we'll take a few steps backward.

Inspired by the rural general practitioner who cared for his family in Adams Center, Dr. Withington decided as a youngster he wanted to become a physician. After receiving his medical degree from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and completing his residency in internal medicine at Kings County Hospital, both in New York City, Dr. Withington opened an office in 1939 in the back of a barbershop in Copenhagen.

His early practice was a 24-hour-a-day job, revolving primarily around house calls. A typical morning might include as many as two dozen of them.

In 1942, he enlisted in the Navy, serving as a flight surgeon on a seaplane tender in the South Pacific. After the war, he came to Watertown, remaining in general practice until his retirement in 1986. His wife, Alice Giblin Withington, died in 2007 at 96.

"I've always been very active," Dr. Withington said. "I always went hiking and hunting. But put hunting in parenthesis. I carried a gun but had no idea to shoot anything."

His after-work walks would be up to four miles at times. He participated in several Tug Hill Tourathon ski races, and up until his early 90s he swam every summer evening off his Sackets Harbor cottage.

He's had setbacks. There was the intestinal surgery a few years ago that put him in an intensive care unit for a week.

"I could barely get up to go from the bed to the chair," Dr. Withington said about his recovery. "But I kept increasing from here to there, so eventually I could go outside and walk a little ways. I remember a year later when I was able to walk to Myrtle Avenue. Then I could go to Green Street."

This past winter, his back gave him trouble. But he returned to previous form and lately has been going longer distances. Some of his evening walks have taken him past Myrtle Avenue to School Street.

"I keep adding a little bit," he said.

Dr. Withington has seven aides who tend to him around the clock, providing cleaning, cooking and personal care.

"The girls keep me bundled up like I'm going to the North Pole," he said. "I go out every day, no matter how cold, as long as the walks are dry."

One of his helpers accompanies him on his walks, just in case he needs assistance. He noted that his son, retired orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Richard L. Withington, bought him a cell phone for that cause, and to perhaps to give the ladies a break from walking.

"But one of the girls put that thing through the washing machine," Dr. Withington said with a laugh. "That was the end of that."

Dr. Withington has the gift of gumption. It makes him want to push himself, and that's the advice he offers to others.

"They should push themselves to the limit," he said. "I think the tendency today is to put yourself in a chair in front of the TV."

Later, as we strolled up to Green Street, Dr. Withington shared some neighborhood history as he kept an eye on the uneven sidewalk. "I could tell you where every crack is in this sidewalk," he said.

We reached the intersection of Green Street. Dr. Withington stopped. He reached over the curb and tapped his cane onto the pavement.

"I've got to leave my stamp," he said.

Then he turned around, heading to his next destination.

A Guy on a Bike is an occasional column in which the rider introduces you to people and places along roads you might easily miss. If you have a suggested ride/column idea, contact cbrock@wdt.net, or write to Chris Brock at the Watertown Daily Times, 260 Washington St., Watertown, N.Y. 13601