Dr. James Worden

Dr. James Worden

Knoxville, TN

Dr. James P. Worden, age 93, of Knoxville, Tennessee, passed away on July 17, 2016. He was born February 21, 1923 in Tullahoma, Tennessee, to Penn and LaVerne Worden. After the family moved to Knoxville, he attended Fountain City Grammar and Knoxville Central High School. He then attended the University of Tennessee, where he completed a fast-tracked medical program designed to train doctors for service in the Korean War. Attending classes four quarters a year, he completed both his B.S. and M.D. degrees in 5-1/2 years, graduating from the University of Tennessee College of Medicine in Memphis in 1946. He completed his medical internship and internal medicine residency training at the Ohio State University Hospital and then joined the Eighth Army Medical Corps in Korea in 1950. There, he treated sick and wounded South Koreans, North Koreans, and Chinese in a field hospital until 1952.

After serving in Korea, Dr. Worden returned to Knoxville and shared a medical practice with Drs. Richard Sexton, Robert Brimi, David Rankin and Mike Bernard, in the Blount Professional Building. There, he was known as a beloved, caring internal-medicine specialist, who always had time to discuss his patients' concerns. He taught medical interns and residents at the UT Medical Center for 25 years, and in 1969, he was elected Chief of Staff at Baptist Hospital. In 1985, he became Medical Director of Hospice for Baptist Hospital of East Tennessee. Four decades after beginning his private practice, he retired from it –but not from helping people through his medical expertise.

In 1997, Dr. Worden completed his board certification in Hospice and Palliative Medicine and launched a new career assisting patients and families through end-of-life care. In 2001, Dr. Worden received the Joy Dirksen Baker Award for using his experience as a colon cancer survivor to improve the lives of cancer patients. He also received the 2001 Tennessee Hospital Association Meritorious Service Award for medical staff for the American College of Health Care Executives. Dr. Worden was recognized for his generous contributions of time and resources to worthwhile organizations. With Dr. Wilson Powers, he started the Great Smoky Mountain Chapter of the Arthritis Foundation and with Dr. Hammond Pride led the Knoxville downtown Sertoma Club in starting the Sertoma Center for handicapped children. His volunteer activities included helping at the Love Kitchen and seeing patients at Interfaith Health Clinic. Dr. Worden was an active member and Elder of Lake Hills Presbyterian Church since 1978. He loved outdoor activities, including hiking in the Smokies, fishing, and hunting groundhogs, prairie dogs, and crows.

Dr. Worden is survived by his wife, Linda; sons, Jim (Tammy) and Mark (Debbie); daughter, Sally; and grandchildren, Andrew, Laura (Tyler) Bach and Cameron. He is also survived by his brother, Stuart Worden; niece, Minky Worden (Gordon Crovitz); and sons, Jack, James, and Tom Crovitz; nephew, David (Missy) Worden and sons Penn and Shep; nephew, John (Meredith) Worden and children, Amelia and Samuel; niece, Frances (Bob) Wood; nephew, Bill Worden; niece, Ann Ellington and son Hunter; sister-in-law, Sara Worden; and a host of cousins, extended family and friends. He was predeceased by his parents; brother, Penn Worden; and sisters-in-law, Betsy Worden and Nina Worden; and several aunts and uncles.

The Rev. James McTyre will officiate at the memorial service on Saturday, August 27, 2016 at Lake Hills Presbyterian Church. Receiving of friends will be from 11:00 AM until 12:00 PM and following the 2:00 PM memorial service. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Lake Hills Presbyterian Church, 3805 Maloney Road, Knoxville, Tennessee 37920, The Love Kitchen, 2418 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, Knoxville, Tennessee 37915, or a charity of your choice. The family wishes to thank all the medical personnel who lovingly cared for Dr. Worden this year. In accordance with Dr. Worden's wishes, his body was donated to Restore Life USA for tissue research. Condolences may be offered at www.berryfuneralhome.com