Dr. Francis X. Paletta Sr.

Paletta, Francis X. Sr., MD an internationally recognized physician who directed the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Saint Louis University for 35 years, died at his home in Kirkwood on Thursday, February 12, 2009. He was 93. Dr. Paletta was a member of 'the Greatest Generation.' He was born early in the 20th Century to Italian immigrant parents, grew up near Pittsburgh during the Depression, went overseas as a young doctor during World War II, and settled down in St. Louis to start a family and fulfill a career of service. From this Greatest Generation came a number of medical leaders like Dr. Paletta who obtained vast surgical experience in the theaters of the War and returned home to establish the training programs and organizations that became the foundation of modern reconstructive surgery in the United States. As an Army battalion surgeon, Dr. Paletta was part of the Allied invasion force in Normandy and was assigned to the 35th Evacuation Hospital in Patton's Third Army. In addition to Normandy, he participated in the battles of Northern France, the Rhineland, the Battle of the Bulge, and the Central European Campaign in Germany. In 1950, he joined the faculty of the Department of Surgery at Saint Louis University, and formed the residency program there in 1954. In 1956, he started the Midwest's first Cleft Palate service at Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital. He served as Chief of the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery until his retirement in 1985. He was a founding member of both the Plastic Surgery Research Council and the American Society of Surgery of the Hand. He served as Vice-Chair of the American Board of Plastic Surgery and President of the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. He received international recognition for his contributions to the field. Dr. Paletta is survived by his wife of nearly 25 years, Mary Howard Paletta. He leaves behind eight children: Geraldine Jones of Kirkwood; Mary Bridget Fuchs of Webster Groves; Francis X. (Tina) Paletta, Jr., MD of Glendale; Christian Paletta, MD (Blair Forlaw) of Webster Groves; David Paletta of Boone, NC; Richard (Judith) Paletta of Frontenac; Kathleen (Bruce) Vest, MD of Godfrey, IL; and Stephen Paletta of Richmond Heights. He has 25 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. He is also survived by three sisters: Margaret Paletta of New Kensington, PA; Rose Spencer of West Leechburg, PA; and Edith Loffert of LaVale, MD; a nephew, Frank L. Paletta, MD, of Frontenac; and a niece, Mary Ann Paletta of Frontenac. Dr. Paletta's first wife, Gertrude Hendricks Paletta, died in 1971. Also preceding him in death are two brothers, Leonard and John; two sisters, Mary Romeo and Theresa Griffith; and two nephews, Leonard Paletta, MD, and Victor Paletta, MD, both of the St. Louis area.Services:The family will receive friends on Sunday, February 15 from 4 until 8 p.m. at BOPP Chapel, 10610 Manchester Rd. in Kirkwood. The funeral Mass will be celebrated at Ste. Genevieve du Bois Church on February 16 at 10 a.m. Interment will follow at Resurrection Cemetery.