Thurman Gillespy, Jr., MD
Ormond Beach - Thurman Gillespy, Jr., MD, 94, of Ormond Beach, Florida, passed peacefully at home with family at his bedside on Sunday, March 29, 2020. Under statewide gathering restrictions at the time, a private family graveside service was held on April 4, 2020. Now, a Community Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, November 20, 2021, at St. James Episcopal Church, Ormond Beach.
Thurman was born on February 7, 1926, in Charleston, WV, an identical twin and the eldest son of Thurman Gillespy, Sr. and Bess Pyatt Bonsted Gillespy. He attended the University of Toledo before enlisting in the U.S. Army Air Corps where he served honorably for two years, during WWII as a B-17 Flying Fortress waist gunner, and then as a military photographer in the Pacific. Following his service commission, Thurman attended Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia. One evening, while moonlighting at nearby Misericordia Hospital, he met a young nursing student, Elaine Essner, who quickly became the love of his life. They wed in the spring of his senior year, and celebrated their 67th wedding anniversary shortly before his passing.
Following an internship in Huntington, WV, and several years in general practice in Eaton, IN, Thurman completed his Orthopedic residency training at Philadelphia General Hospital. In 1961, Thurman, Elaine, and their growing family relocated to the Daytona Beach area, where he founded the Orthopaedic Clinic of Daytona Beach. Thurman's mantra was to live a life of meaning, firmly rooted on the four cornerstones of superior medical practice, meaningful philanthropy, faith-based living, and love of family. Excellence was his minimum standard; others before self was his default.
During his practice as a physician, Thurman traveled to many medical centers around the world, bringing cutting edge procedures to our community. He studied with pioneers from England and France before performing the first total hip replacement in East Florida in 1971. He was an affiliate clinical instructor with the Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation at the University of Florida for more than 35 years, where he established the Gillespy Traveling Fellowship to enable orthopedic residents to travel and learn the skills of surgeons across the globe. As a medical provider, Thurman was a visionary in his care of patients. He believed in treating not only the orthopedic condition, but also the individual patient. He took their lifestyle and health goals into account before finalizing a treatment plan. Tens of thousands of patients have benefited from his broad orthopedic acumen and his fine surgical skills. Annually, thousands of children are screened for scoliosis because of Thurman's pressure on the Florida legislature in the 1960s to mandate school screenings. This early detection of spinal curvatures allowed non-surgical treatment that spared many from developing debilitating deformities requiring surgical correction later. Thurman served as Chief of Orthopedics and Chief of Staff at Halifax Medical Center. He established a yearly stipend for the Halifax Family Medicine Residency Program, through which the nursing staff continues to annually recognize a resident they believe to be most compassionate. He collaborated with others and Halifax Medical Center to help found Halifax Insurance Plan Inc. during a 1985 medical malpractice insurance crisis, then served as its acting Chair until his retirement in 2014. He volunteered his skills at both the Keech Street Clinic and the Jesus Clinic, local medical facilities positioned to provide free medical care to area residents who may otherwise not be able to afford care.
Thurman's philanthropy extended beyond medicine. He served on more than 20 boards of directors throughout the community, funded arts and social programs, and, together with Elaine and other key community members, brought to the Daytona Beach area decades (from 1960 – 2003) of arts programming through the London Symphony Orchestra and the Florida International Festival, of which he was Chair in 2003. He held vital roles that helped develop the News Journal Lively Arts Center, he was actively involved in the Daytona Beach Symphony Society, and he was instrumental in expansion at the Museum of Arts and Sciences. In recognition of their leadership and longstanding support of cultural endeavors in this community, Thurman and Elaine were honored in 2014 with the esteemed Volusia County Cultural Alliance Tippen Davidson Award. Thurman always sought to fund and organize needed cultural and civic events.
An active parishioner at St. James Episcopal Church since 1961, Thurman's presence on the vestry helped shape the early church and school development. He assisted with creating funding for ongoing needs, including the school expansion in the 1980s, and renovations in the 2000s. His hobbies included collecting coins, building Heathkit electronics such as a color TV, bush hogging the fields of his beloved Ormond Barn from atop the Kubota Tractor he received as an 80th birthday present from his children, following Atlanta Braves baseball, cheering on Florida Gator football from season seats he held for 6 decades, helping his children and grandchildren realize their professional dreams, and traveling the globe with Elaine. Together they crossed Antarctica, reached the north pole by Russian ice breaker, explored each of the 7 continents and pursued the many wonders of our world.
A pillar of the community, Thurman Gillespy, Jr. is widely recognized as a selfless promoter of the arts and access to quality medical care. He touched the lives of many generations, and mentored countless medical and business leaders, with a genuine desire for honesty, integrity and respect. He was a loving husband and father, a doting grandfather, and always kind and generous. He was a born leader who got things done. He had exhaustive energy and a can-do attitude. His ancestors were among a great wave of Scots who fled Britain and settled Appalachia; he also was a direct descendant of a Mayflower Pilgrim. He never looked back--but always forward. He never met a problem, but many a challenge. Although we miss his physical presence, Thurman's philosophy and love endures through the countless lives he touched.
Thurman is survived by his loving and devoted wife of 67 years, Elaine (nee Essner) of Ormond Beach; his six children Thurman III (Marjorie) of Seattle, John (Jayne) of Palm Beach Gardens, Albert (Doreen) of Ormond Beach, Janet (Brad) of Ormond Beach, Mark (Jill) of Ormond Beach, and Michelle (Alan) of Cincinnati; his 13 grandchildren Becca (Lucas) Peter, Melanie (Bracken), Alden, Brian, Kevin, Tyler, Danielle (Michael) Simons, Lauren, Alex (Michael) Lorentsen, Kristen, Bailey, Isaac, and Avi; and his 3 great grandchildren Eddie and Linnea Peter, and Drew Lorentsen. He is predeceased by his sisters Mildred, Nell Ruth, Harriet and Martha, his twin, Robert II, and brother William.
A Celebration of Life and Requiem Eucharist will be held at 11:00 am on Saturday, November 20, 2021, followed by a brief reception, at St. James Episcopal Church, 44 South Halifax Drive, Ormond Beach, FL. The family respectfully requests that all attending Please Wear a Mask.
The family thanks all who have generously donated Memorial Contributions in Thurman's memory, including to the St. James Episcopal Church Endowment Fund, Ormond Beach, FL (386-677-0872) and the Jesus Clinic, Daytona Beach, FL (386-253-6959).
