Warren Koontz Obituary

KOONTZ, Dr. Warren Woodson Jr., died November 1, 2023. Dr. Koontz was born on June 10, 1932, in Lynchburg, Virginia. He was the son of the late Dr. Warren Womack Koontz and Mary Winston Woodson Koontz. He graduated from Virginia Episcopal School in Lynchburg and received a B.S. in Biology from the Virginia Military Institute in 1953, where he was a Distinguished Military Graduate.

Dr. Koontz received his MD degree from the University of Virginia in 1957 and was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha his senior year. He served two years of residency in General Surgery at the New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center. He was then called to duty and served two years in the United States Air Force as a Captain and Chief of Surgery at the 328 th USAF Hospital at Richards-Gebaur AFB, Missouri. He returned to New York Hospital for a third year of residency in General Surgery, followed by a four-year residency in Urology under another Virginian, Dr. Victor F. Marshall. Following residency, Dr. Koontz joined the faculty of the Medical College of Virginia (MCV) in Richmond as an Assistant Professor. He then moved to Boston as Assistant Urologist at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Assistant Professor at the Harvard Medical School. In 1970 Dr. Koontz returned to Richmond and MCV as Professor and Chairman of the Division of Urology. In 1994 he became Professor Emeritus in Urology and for five and a half years served as the Executive Director of the Virginia Board of Medicine. He then worked part time at MCV and the McGuire VA Hospital until his retirement in 2003. He was a member of many medical organizations and served as a board member and President of the Richmond Academy of Medicine, Virginia Chapter of the American College of Surgeons, the Society of University Urologists, the Mid-Atlantic Section of the American Urological Association, and the American Association of Genito-Urinary Surgeons. He served as Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs and Chief of the Medical Staff at MCV from 1982 to 1988. Dr. Koontz was immensely proud of the many residents that he was associated with during their training. These men and women have practiced in many parts of the U.S. and overseas. In 2014 Dr. Koontz was appointed by Gov. Terence McAuliffe to the Board of Long-Term Care Administrators as a citizen member. He is a former member of the Commonwealth Club, the Country Club of Virginia, the West Richmond Rotary Club, and the Smith Mountain Lake Chapter of the Classic and Antique Boat Club. Warren often said the luckiest day of his life was in September 1953 when he had a blind date with Edwina (Win) Sykes, a freshman at Randolph Macon Woman's College. They dated for four years and married in June, 1957.

Throughout their life together Warren and Win traveled extensively in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Central and South America, and Antarctica. They also spent a sabbatical in Antwerp, Belgium. Warren loved traveling with his family, spending quality time at Smith Mountain Lake and sailing in the Caribbean. Tennis with friends was also a passion. Fly fishing in Maine was an annual event for many years. Warren is survived by his wife of 66 years, Edwina Sykes Koontz; his son Dr. Warren Sykes Koontz of Richmond; his daughter Mary Koontz Hayes (H. Robert Hayes, Jr.) of Smithfield; his granddaughter Katherine Edwina Hayes (Jackson Bruce Prillaman) of Arlington; and his grandson William Coulbourn Hayes of Virginia Beach. Warren was extremely proud of his son, daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren and all their accomplishments. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Medical College of Virginia Foundation for the Warren W. Koontz Professorship in Urologic Research, or the VMI/MCV Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 980234, Richmond, Virginia 23298-0234.