Arthur Grey Wallace Sr. DO's Obituary
Arthur Grey Wallace, Sr., DO, 88, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, peacefully passed away on Wednesday, February 22, 2017 with his family at his bedside. Arthur was born on April 12, 1928 in Fort Smith, Arkansas; he was one of four children born to Edward and Margaret Wallace. He grew up in Sulphur Springs, Arkansas and then moved with his family to Tulsa, Oklahoma where he attended Clinton Junior High School and Webster High School. He attended the University of Tulsa and the University of Oklahoma where he earned his undergraduate degree in biological sciences. After graduation in 1948, Arthur served four years in the United States Navy during the Korean conflict where he was assigned to the research division at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. While in the Navy, Arthur met and married Lena Pucci on October 13, 1950. After an honorable discharge from the Navy, Arthur worked in the laboratory at Oklahoma Osteopathic Hospital (OOH) in Tulsa, Oklahoma, then attended Kansas City College of Osteopathic Medicine where he earned his Doctor of Osteopathic (DO) Medicine degree. After graduation in 1960, Arthur returned to Tulsa, completing his internship at OOH where he joined Walter Kempe, DO, to practice general family medicine at the Southwest Clinic in West Tulsa. Arthur’s interest in Emergency Medicine led him to partner with Roy Guthrie, DO, at OOH where they started and developed the training program for Resident Physicians while serving as Attending Emergency Department Physicians. Throughout his medical career, Arthur was greatly respected by his patients, co-workers and colleagues for his compassionate care and emphasis on education and training. His passion and leadership in the medical field inspired other family members to follow in his footsteps in similar professions. In addition to practicing emergency medicine, Arthur was a talented artist who utilized many mediums, including watercolors, acrylics and oils with a passion for painting still-life and portraits. He was also a published author of numerous novels, short stories and poems, and an accomplished inventor with several patents. Arthur enjoyed spending time with his family, being outdoors, fishing, traveling, laughing, and encouraging others to live life to the fullest every day. In addition to his numerous medical and artistic accomplishments, his family will cherish his genuine smile and authentic storytelling that captivated the room. Arthur was preceded in death by his parents, Edward and Margaret. He is survived by his wife, Lena; his beloved siblings Carolyn, Dan and John; and his children Arthur Grey Wallace, Jr., DO, William Wallace and his wife Kimberly, Victoria Ganjanathavat, and David Wallace and his wife Sudarat. He is very loved and will be greatly missed by his 16 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren, with his 16th great-grandchild arriving soon. Arthur’s life, in Da Vinci’s words: “It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.” In lieu of flowers the family ask that donations be made in his memory to either the Oklahoma Osteopathic Association or the Osteopathic Founders Foundation.. Memorial Service Saturday, March 4th, 2017-10:00 am-Floral Haven Funeral Home Chapel.
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