Dr. Walter Sterling Strode, 83, a longtime urologist at Straub Clinic & Hospital who carried on a family legacy of serving Honolulu, has died.

Strode was known as a physician of the old school, compassionate, kind, caring and gentlemanly. He retired in 2004 after 49 years at Straub. He died Nov. 12.

His colleague, Straub general surgeon John Balfour, said of Strode, "He lived his life in a serene and calm way."

Strode's father, Dr. Joseph E. Strode, a general surgeon, was one of the founding fathers of Straub Clinic and worked there for 50 years. One of the clinic buildings is named after Joseph Strode.

Walter Strode graduated from Punahou School in 1942, did his undergraduate work at Williams College, his medical training at Washington University in St. Louis, and his post-graduate specialty training at Tulane's Ochsner Medical Clinic and The Queen's Medical Center.

He was third-generation kama'aina; his mother's family came to Hawai'i in the 1840s. Strode was at a Sea Scout camp in Kane'ohe on Dec. 7, 1941, and saw the air base being bombed. He often recalled that at first the Scouts thought it was a maneuver and waved at the low-flying Japanese planes.

He served as a corpsman in the Navy during World War II and as a surgeon in the Army during the Korean War.

Strode served as chairman of the Urology Department at Straub and was director of the Kidney Stone Center of the Pacific. He was a founder of the Hawai'i Health Net in the 1970s, a network of professionals and laymen interested in the future of medicine with a holistic perspective on healthcare.

He was an avid tennis player and a bridge enthusiast. He also traveled a great deal and read voraciously.

Strode is survived by his wife, Molly, six children (Mardi Wissmar, Poppy, Mary, Cay, Michael and David Strode), two stepchildren (Toby Long and Amy Tye), six grandchildren, sister Evelyn Van Orsdel and former wife Nancy Strode.

A celebration of life will be held at 5 p.m. Dec. 6, at Church of the Crossroads. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Straub Foundation, the Heifer Foundation or any charity of choice.