Dr. Edmund C. Meadows

MEADOWS, Dr. Edmund C. 90, formerly of Leominster, MA and Manchester, VT, died on July 26, 2011 at the Center for Living and Rehabilitation in Bennington, VT after a lengthy illness. Dr. Meadows served as Chief of Surgery at Leominster Hospital from 1954 until his retirement in 1986. Dr. Meadows was born on July 27, 1920 in Dunns, WV, the youngest of nine children of Berman and Dora (Lilly) Meadows. Ed always said that he knew from the time that he was eight years old that he wanted to be a surgeon. Ed achieved that goal by completing his high school education and enrolling at West Virginia Wesleyan College at the age of 14. He graduated from Wesleyan in 1938, earned a Masters Degree from West Virginia University in 1940 and his MD from Harvard Medical School in 1944. Ed served his country in both World War II and the Korean War as an officer in the U.S. Navy. One of the highlights of Ed's naval career was escorting former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt on rounds at Bethesda (MD) Naval Hospital. He remarked that "she had the worst breath I had ever smelled." Years later, he discovered the cause: Mrs. Roosevelt was a firm believer in eating several cloves of garlic every day for good health. Dr. Meadows was an avid outdoorsman who loved to fish, hunt and play golf. He was a member of Oak Hill Country Club in Fitchburg and Rice Meadow Fly Fishing Club in Westminster. Patients who visited Dr. Meadows' office were always surprised to see a trophy white tail deer and a large marlin that he had caught in Hawaii gracing the walls. Ed was an accomplished fiddler and boxer in his youth. Dr. Meadows was a raconteur who loved to recall stories of his youth in West Virginia, which were told in a slightly Southern accent which he never lost, despite spending his entire adult life in New England. A plaque in the lobby of the surgical wing of Leominster Hospital honors Dr. Meadows for his 32 years of service there as Chief of Surgery. Ed is survived by three daughters: Lois (Pete) Dorman of Georgetown, DE; Melinda (Paul) Miller of Sterling, MA and Sarah Meadows of Urbana, IL and two sons Edmund C. "Bud" (Mary Theresa) Meadows, Jr. of Chicago, IL and Jim (Peggy) Meadows of Beverly Hills, MI, one sister Tina Taylor of Moundsville, WV, as well as 7 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by 6 brothers: Theodore, Jay, Charles, David, Alphonse and Berman; and 1 sister, Lena. According to Ed's wishes, there will be no visitation and no memorial ceremony. Arrangements are being handled by E.P. Mahar and Son Funeral Home of Bennington, VT. Those wishing to honor Ed's memory are asked to make a donation in his name to the Health Alliance Hospital Guild at Leominster Hospital or to the American Cancer Society.