Dr. Chester Ashley Messick Jr

On April 5, 2023, Chester Ashley Messick, Jr. MD, 69 went to be with the Lord. He was a dedicated physician, a creative mischief-maker, a loving husband, a devoted father and a beloved Pop Pop.
Chester was born on January 22, 1954, in Salem, New Jersey. He attended Pennsville Memorial High School where he ran track and played tennis as well as being a part of the National Honor Society.
After graduation, he enlisted with the U.S. Army Medical Corps and trained in Germany. Chester continued in the medical field upon returning home and was the lead x-ray tech in his certification program. In 1982, Chester welcomed his first daughter Katherine and earned his Bachelor of Science in Biology at West Chester University in Pennsylvania.
In 1983, Chester moved to Texas to go into pharmaceutical sales and welcomed his second daughter Ashley in 1984. After 20 years in the industry and raising his family, Chester decided at the age of 47 to embark on his lifelong dream of earning a medical degree.
In 2005, Chester graduated from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine and did his residency at St. Vincent's Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida, where he met his wife, Kathy. In 2007, Chester and Kathy married during the Christmas holiday. and he adopted Kathy's daughter Lauren.
Chester was an adventurer, exploring underground caves with Kathy and surprising his 2 oldest daughters by taking them sky diving. Chester was competitive in everything, even breaking into a sprint at the end of every run Kathy and he participated in "beat" her across the finish line.
Chesters favorite holiday was Christmas and he loved to decorate the tree with so much tinsel you couldn't see the ornaments. He always made sure that each person present had at least one toy wrapped under the tinsel-strewn tree. He was forever a child at heart.
Chester loved being a doctor, he relished living near the beach in Pensacola, and he adored his family, especially his grandchildren. It was a particularly cruel twist of fate that Lewy body dementia took his mind, and ultimately his life. He will forever be remembered for his big heart, his creative and adventurous spirit, and his loud, infectious laugh!
He is preceded in death by his parents, Chester Ashley Messick Sr. and Anna Marie Messick.
Chester is survived by his wife, Kathy F. Messick, Pace, Florida; daughters, Katherine C. (Mert) Akinc, Austin, Texas, Ashley E. (Daniel) Hooker, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Lauren O. Messick, Pace, Florida; sister, Candy M. (Murray, Jr.) Drummond, Townsend, Delaware; 4 grandchildren, Evan, William, Charlie, and Anne.
The family will have a private celebration of life. In lieu of sending flowers, the family is asking for donations to the Lewy Body Dementia Association. https://www.lbda.org/donate
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