Joseph Patrick Fleming, M.D., 1928 to 2004

Joseph Patrick Fleming was born on the Canadian prairie, July 5, 1928, in Humboldt, Saskatchewan, to Harry Raymond Fleming, M.D., and Claire Kyte Fleming (deceased, 1999). His father was a surgeon and prominent member of the Canadian Parliament. After the untimely death of his father in 1942, he moved with his family to Nova Scotia to be near his mother’s family in Antigonish. Joe attended Saint Francis Xavier University in Antigonish before entering medical school at the National University of Ireland in Dublin. He graduated with his medical degree in 1953 and returned to Canada, starting a general medical practice in New Westminster, outside of Vancouver, British Columbia. Joe married Therese (“Terry”) Eccles in Victoria, British Columbia, on January 15, 1955. Terry was a nurse at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver, having attended nursing school at that institution. After 4 years of general practice, Joe decided to pursue training in plastic surgery. He moved to Great Britain with his wife and four children. He performed his prerequisite training in general surgery at the Royal Postgraduate Medical School at Hammersmith Hospital in London. He served as houseman for Professor Ian Aird during his pioneering work in renal transplantation. Joe’s training in plastic surgery was performed at Nottingham General Hospital in England, under the direction of Mr. David Wynn-Williams, who, as my dad loved to remind me, was a trainee of both Harold Gillies and Archibald McIndoe. During this time, as my mother laments, Joe refused to take any vacations for fear of missing an important surgical case. When he completed his training, he and Terry returned to North America, now with six children. Joe was afraid to fly, so we returned in style on the Queen Mary I. Soon after his return, Joe took and passed his Canadian fellowship examination in plastic surgery at McGill University in Montreal, in November of 1963. Although I could never get any specific statistical information out of him, he alluded to the fact that it was typical at the time for examinees to require several attempts before they were successful in passing the examination. From Montreal, we moved to Vancouver, where he was only the second certified plastic surgeon to ever practice in the area at the time. Two more kids were added to the family since England, for a total of eight children. Joe established a very busy practice, served as chief of plastic surgery at Saint Paul’s Hospital, and was an active member of the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons. He had several articles published in the Plastic and Reconstructive journal, and was made an active member of the Aesthetic Society soon after its founding in 1967. My dad loved to paint, and won several awards for his paintings. In 1977 we moved to Houston, Texas, where we all became proud dual citizens: of Texas and the United States. Joe continued to have a very busy practice in Houston until he retired. He had to stay busy to support eight college students. This educational investment resulted in two surgeons, three attorneys, and three Ph.D.s. I was fortunate to have been able to operate with my dad when I was a medical student at the University of Texas, Houston, and when I was home during vacations from my surgical residency. My dad always put the needs of the patient before his own, was honest to a fault, and never compromised his principles. Several trips to the woodshed as a boy and the example he set when I worked with him have been invaluable to me during my life and career. Joe is survived by his wife Terry, eight children, and 19 grandchildren. We all miss him.Figure: Joseph Patrick Fleming, M.D., 1928 to 2004.

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