John C. Fletcher M.D.

1925 - 2013

John C. Fletcher, M.D.
John C. Fletcher, M.D., 87, died at home on July 30, 2013, surrounded by his family and beloved wife of 63 years, Doris Corinne. Born December 11, 1925, to a farming family in Greensboro, FL, John's intelligence and inquisitive nature were nurtured by his Grandmother Hentz, who taught him to read at an early age. His love of reading continued his entire life. Even during his later years, he was never without a book close at hand, and he was known to routinely "borrow" books from family members while over for dinner. He loved hunting, fishing, and the outdoors, and he instilled this passion in his son and grandsons. He was also an avid golfer, who could "shoot his age" late into his 80s.
John was firmly rooted in the South, and he adored his large and boisterous family. He grew up in Greensboro on his family's shade tobacco farms, working and carousing with his five brothers and two sisters. As an adult, he attended the annual Fletcher Family reunions with his siblings, a group nicknamed "the outlaws," by his sister Helen's husband Sambo. With his low, slow laugh and omnipresent cigar, he could always be found in a rocking chair on the front porch, watching the sunset and the grandchildren run and play.
After graduating from Greensboro High School, John was commissioned as a naval aviator, trained as a combat pilot, and received an Honorable Discharge at the end of the Second World War. He loved the "wild blue yonder," once flying a prop plane under the Apalachicola Bridge, and skydiving to celebrate his 80th birthday with his granddaughter Brie and her husband Travis.
John earned his Bachelor's degree from the University of Florida and a Medical Degree from Emory University School of Medicine. He completed his internship and general surgery residency at Barnes Hospital, serving as Chief Resident in his final year. John established his surgical practice in Tampa, Florida, serving on staff at St. Joseph's Hospital, AMI Memorial Hospital, Humana Women's Hospital, and Tampa General Hospital.
John was a Clinical Professor of Surgery at the University of South Florida College of Medicine, and served as Chief of the General Surgical Section of Tampa General Hospital. He was also Senior Surgical Consultant at MacDill Air Force Base and the Florida Crippled Children's Commission. He directed the General Surgical Training Program at Tampa General Hospital and was also Director of the Burn Unit. John was elected Vice-President of the Florida Medical Association in 1972. He was a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and very active in the Florida Chapter, serving as Governor, Executive Council Member, and President, and was the College's representative on the Florida Medical Association Council on Specialty Medicine for ten years. Among his many professional accolades, John received the Raymond H. Alexander, M.D., Award from the Florida Chapter of the American College of Surgeons for his outstanding dedication and service to the medical profession in the field of surgery.
John's specialty was pediatric general surgery, and he was a gifted, kind, and caring physician to all of his patients. He was routinely interrupted during evenings out with his family by grateful former patients. This happened so often that Doris was sometimes heard to murmur: "He does put his pants on one leg at a time, like everyone else."
John and Doris were devoted to each other, and their love was a sustaining force, especially during times of illness. Theirs was truly a wonderful life together, with all of its joys and sorrows. John is survived by Doris and their children, John Clyde Fletcher, Jr., Melissa Fletcher Allaman (Bill), and Leslie Susan Fletcher (Al Story), and his grandchildren, Brie Allaman Stewart (Travis), John William Allaman (Carla Thomas), Avery Kathleen Allaman (Charles Taverna), John Clyde Fletcher III, Elizabeth Kathleen Stuebben, Michael Gregory Stuebben, and Mary Corinne Fletcher. John took special delight in his great grandchildren, Robert Tucker Stewart, his "frisky little biscuit," and Shelby Lorena Stewart. John is also survived by his two brothers, T. Bert Fletcher, Jr. and Homer Maxwell Fletcher, and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, T. Bert Fletcher and Mary Elvira Hentz Fletcher; his sisters, Louise Fletcher Eyster and Helen Fletcher Sams; and his brothers, Edward Hentz Fletcher, Howard Vance Fletcher, and Hal Duncan Fletcher.
The funeral will be held at 4 p.m. on Saturday, August 3, 2013, at Greensboro United Methodist Church, Greensboro, FL. The family wishes to thank St. Augustine Plantation for caring for John and Doris, especially Daisy, Damaris, Deborah, Haley, Rochelle, and Kala. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Big Bend Hospice and the American Cancer Society.