Dr. William Evans Neville

Dr. William Evans Neville, one of the pioneers of cardiac surgery, died Saturday, July 28 at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, in Santa Rosa, CA. He was 82. Born in Fairbury, Nebraska in 1919, William E. Neville was the eldest of three children born to William Dennis Neville, DDS, and Ruth Evans Neville. He graduated from Fairbury High School in 1936, which is the same year that he was injured as the captain of the varsity basketball team. He subsequently lost his leg due to this injury. A Creighton University (Omaha, Nebraska) graduate with a BS in 1939, Dr. Neville then completed his Medical Degree at the University of Nebraska in 1943. After a one-year internship at Santa Rosa Hospital in San Antonio, Texas, he completed his surgical residency at the Cleveland Clinic in 1949. Dr. Neville was certified by the American Board of Surgery in 1949, following which he was certified by the American Board of Thoracic Surgery in 1963. He is a member of numerous surgical associations, including the American College of Surgeons, the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, the Central Surgical Association, the Western Surgical Association, the Society of Vascular Surgeons, the North American Chapter of the International Society for Cardiovascular Surgery, and the American Surgical Association in 1971. From 1962 to 1971, Dr. Neville was Director of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery at Hines Veterans Hospital in Chicago, a University of Illinois affiliation. Additionally, Dr. Neville served as an Associate Clinical Professor of Surgery at the University of Illinois College of Medicine and the Stritch School of Medicine at Loyola University. In 1971, Dr. Neville was appointed Professor of Surgery and Director of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey at Newark, where he served until 1989. Upon retirement to Santa Rosa, CA, he was a Professor Emeritus at the university. He is survived by Jane Neville, his wife of 42 years; daughters Laura Woods of Buhler, KS, Maureen Neville of Trenton, NJ, Sheila Reyes-Ortiz of San Jose, CA; sons William D. Neville II of Londonderry, NH, Brian Neville of Basking Ridge, NJ and by nine grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews. No services are planned locally, but there will be a memorial service later in Fairbury, Nebraska. If desired, memorial contributions may be made to a favorite charity. Arrangements under the care of the Daniels Chapel of the Roses Funeral Home, 707-525-3730.