Dr. Kenneth Lawrence "Larry" Raulston Jr.

1938 - 2018

Dr. Kenneth Lawrence "Larry" Raulston, Jr.

Knoxville, TN

Larry was born in Knoxville on June 28, 1938, graduated from Central High School and then earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. He received his M.D. degree from the University of Tennessee College of Medicine, Memphis, in 1962. The following year, he completed a one-year rotating internship at the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville. Since he had a life-long fascination with aviation, he attended the U.S. Naval School of Aerospace Medicine in Pensacola, Florida, where he became a designated U.S. Naval Flight Surgeon. He was stationed at Kaneohe Marine Air Station, Hawaii for 9 months before being shipped out to Okinawa, Japan and later Vietnam. He was attached to the 3rd Marine Air Wing, HMM161, in Okinawa, Japan, where he learned to fly helicopters and later served aboard two aircraft carriers (the USS Princeton and the USS Iwo Jima). While stationed at Phu Bai, Vietnam, he spent time helping out at a nearby MASH unit and was able to fly helicopters as a co-pilot on several hundred missions in Vietnam. After completing a 15-month rotation in Vietnam, he was honorably discharged from the U.S. Navy as a Lieutenant Commander. He then attended post-graduate training at Tulane University and completed a 3-year fellowship in Ophthalmology at Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. He was board certified in Ophthalmology and was a member of the American Medical Association and the Tennessee Medical Association and was a fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and a life fellow of AAO for 48 years. He practiced for 48 years at St. Mary's Medical Center and with Center For Sight, P.C. at the Southeast Eye Center. He was privileged to be a part of ophthalmology during the period of huge advancements in technology and the ongoing improvement in the treatment of cataracts. During the 1970s, he became the first Ophthalmologist in Knoxville to implant posterior chamber intraocular lens (IOLs) for cataract patients. Dr. Raulston was a dedicated hard worker, who exhibited a very strong work ethic and old-fashioned values. Whatever he tackled in life, personal or professional, he gave it his all. He was truly a jack of all trades. There was nothing that he couldn't do or figure out a way to fix. He was a kind compassionate man with a reserved gentle spirit. He was an avid tennis player for years and then cultivated his love of golf, which he played regularly at Cherokee Country Club. He also enjoyed many years skiing in Colorado, sailing his catamaran and 35-foot sailboat. Other interests he pursued included photography, remodeling and he was an audiophile in the truest sense of the word. He and Linda were fortunate to have travelled to Europe, the Far East, Hawaii and throughout the U.S. Larry was preceded in death by his parents, Kenneth Lawrence Raulston, Sr. and Anna Lou Beeler Raulston. He is survived by his loving wife of almost 56 years, Linda Pope Raulston; his two children, John Christopher Raulston (Paula) of Memphis, Tennessee, Patrick Burrell Raulston (Linda) of Knoxville and five grandchildren: Caroline Grace Raulston, Christopher Grayson Raulston, John Spencer Raulston, Elizabeth Laine Raulston and Jack Patrick Raulston; sisters, Mary Kyle Link (John) and Gayle Raulston, of Knoxville; brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Dr. Robert R. Black, Jr. and Jane Pope Black of Tupelo, Mississippi; his nieces and nephews: Susan Link of Canton, North Carolina and David Link of Florence, Kentucky. A private graveside service will be held on Monday, February 19th at Lynnhurst Cemetery. A celebration of life service will be held at 1:00 pm Monday, February 19th at Sequoyah Hills Presbyterian Church, 3700 Keowee Avenue, in Knoxville. Following the service, the family will receive friends in Barron Hall. The family suggests that expressions of sympathy be made to either Sequoyah Hills Presbyterian Church or the Inter-Faith Health Clinic (315 Gill Avenue, Knoxville 37917). Arrangements by Rose Mann Heritage Chapel. Online condolences at www.rosemortuary.com