Providers at Mercer Health

In his youth, Dr. Schwieterman spent several summers working the drug store’s soda fountain before following his father’s path to the University of Cincinnati’s College of Pharmacy, sometimes hitchhiking to school down Route 66 with his brother. He graduated in 1953 and enrolled at Xavier University to fulfill his liberal arts requirements for medical school. In 1954, he entered the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, graduating in 1958. In 1952, Dr. Schwieterman met Marilyn Willke, the daughter of Edgar J. Willke, M.D., from Maria Stein. The couple wed in 1955, and four years later, Dr. Schwieterman joined Dr. Willke’s medical practice on State Route 119 in Maria Stein. In those early years, “Doc” Schwieterman made house calls, carrying his leather bag with medicines, bandages, and instruments to patient’s homes in surrounding communities. He delivered more than 5,000 babies at “Coldwater Hospital” and is fondly remembered by nurses for singing “How Great Thou Art” during deliveries. Often, he found himself delivering two or three babies in a single evening, an obligation he cherished. During office visits, he was known to tell children that there were ‘mice in their ears’. Dr. Schwieterman and his wife Marilyn had six children. Their third son, Jim, joined the practice in 1991, as did his fifth son, Tom, in 1996. Dr. Schwieterman retired in 1997 but has been fondly remembered for his lively sense of humor that entertained generations of children at the doctor’s office.

During medical school he married Viola Bertke of Minster, and together they have five children. The immediate day after completing his internship at Miami Valley Hospital, he joined a medical practice with Drs. Harnick and Pennington in Coldwater. He practiced at the same location for 37 years, delivering thousands of babies, assisting on thousands of surgeries, and seeing tens of thousands of patients in the office. Early in his career there were no emergency room physicians or obstetricians; living across the street from Our Lady of Mercy Hospital, he dedicated himself to making frequent night visits for deliveries or emergencies. He also enjoyed making house calls. His contributions to the hospital were extremely significant, having been one of only five full time Medical Staff members at one point, as well as serving as Chief of Staff and serving on the Board of Governors. He was instrumental in starting cardiac monitoring at the hospital. He also served as the physician for the priests and brothers at St. Charles Center for 37 years. He was able to care for second and third generation patients before retiring in 1997.

He met his wife, Kathleen, a registered nurse, while at Temple, and together they have four daughters. He began his Family Medicine practice in Celina in 1954. He served as Mercer County Coroner for 30 years, was a member of the Mercer County Medical Society, The Ohio State Medical Society and the Ohio Academy of Family Physicians. Throughout his years of active medical staff status for Mercer County Community Hospital, he served on many committees, served as Chief of Staff and sat on the Board of Governors. Having practiced in the proclaimed “golden age” of family medicine, Don did routine hospital rounds on all his patients, assisted on numerous surgeries, delivered multiple babies and managed many orthopedic conditions, while remaining on call for his patients at all hours of day and night. He was respected by his peers and was a champion for better patient care.