Dr. J. Hurd Gaddy

James Hurd Gaddy, M.D., age 99, passed away peacefully at his home in Long Beach on November 24, 2022.
He was preceded in death by his loving wife of 67 yrs, Denise Begin Gaddy; his parents, Ira E. Gaddy, Sr. and Molly Calhoun Gaddy; his brother, Ira E. Gaddy, Jr. ("Dr. Ira"); and his sisters, Sybil G. Martin and Martha Nell G. Bounds.
Dr. Gaddy is survived by his children & their spouses, Debbie G. Whitty (Chris) Springville, AL; Beth G. Miles (Andrew) Durham, NC; Jim Gaddy (Ruthy) Long Beach, MS; Don Gaddy (Katy) Long Beach, MS; 16 grandchildren: Jennifer Whitty deVilleneuve (Mt. Brook, AL); Lauren Whitty Webber (Chogoria, Kenya); Emily Whitty Dalton (Houston, TX); Jaime Miles Jones (Dunwoody, GA); Jodie Miles Messersmith (Cedar Valley, UT); Joy Miles Banik (Bangkok, Thailand); Andrew J. Miles (Raleigh, NC); Julianne Miles Tondreau (Henderson, NC) ; Ashleigh Gaddy (Long Beach, MS); Erin Gaddy Osborne (Hammond, LA); Patrick Gaddy (Long Beach, MS); Trey Gaddy (Long Beach, MS); Montee G. Reasonover (Memphis, TN); Bryan Gaddy (Gulfport, MS); Jason Gaddy (Dallas, TX); Neely G. Beaugez (Gulfport, MS); Dr. Hurd had 33 great grandchildren.
He was a native of Wiggins and Stateline, MS and was a long time resident of Long Beach.
"Dr. Hurd" grew up during the Depression era in small rural MS towns where he always said he "never realized he was poor because everyone was poor." He grew up quail hunting, fishing, and raising his bird dogs and continued loving those activities all his life.
"Dr. Hurd" worked in the Mobile Ingalls Shipyard as a pipefitter building ships for use in WWII. At age 19 he enlisted in the Army, serving in France and Germany in Gen. Patton's Army. He was involved in the Battle of the Bulge and witnessed Jews being freed from German concentration camps at the end of the war. He came home to lots of praise and fanfare which he "felt he never deserved because he just did what every American would have gladly done for his country." He was the last surviving member of his 565th Ordinance.
Upon returning, he took advantage of the GI Bill which paid his way through med school at University of MS and his specialty training at Tulane University. During that time, he met and married his wife and started his family. They decided to move back to the MS Coast where he and his brother had long careers as obstetrician-gynecologists.
"Dr Hurd" delivered over 10,000 babies throughout his career and was dearly loved by his patients and the nurses, doctors, and administrators of Memorial Hospital at Gulfport as well as his own office staff. He was kind, compassionate, and was a mesmerizing story-teller! He loved his family, his patients, his friends, and his life living on his farm where "the front door was always open."
Hurd was a long-time member of Long Beach United Methodist Church and later a member of St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church.
The family would like to thank Marcia Johnson who so compassionately cared for "her buddy" in the last years of his life as well as his other caretakers and the many friends who came to visit him during that time.
In lieu of flowers, the family prefers memorials to the Women's Resource Center (Gulfport, MS) or the National WWII Museum (New Orleans).
Visitation will be on Monday, November 28, 2022, from 5 - 7 pm at the Riemann Family Funeral Home, 19130 Commission Road, Long Beach. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 am Tuesday at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church, 720 E Beach Blvd, Long Beach. A private interment will take place in the family cemetery.
Online condolences may be offered at www.riemannfamily.com
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