Dr. Van Henry Wells

Van H. Wells was born on January 24, 1931 at the Webb-Williamson Hospital in Jackson, TN to Ted Oren & Lillie Plunk Wells. He was the fifth of six children and the second of their two sons. The family was close knit, and the siblings, Mary June Holley (deceased), Colleen Porter, Betty Brewer, James Ted Wells (deceased) & Patricia "Patty" Cain Simmons, have remained so through the years.

Van grew up in Jackson and graduated from Jackson High School on June 7, 1949. He was active in many pursuits and sports in school - football, boxing, acting, and he attended the American Legions Boys State. He was the starting Left Guard for the Golden Bears in his senior year, and boxed in the Golden Gloves. He was the only recipient ever of the Jackson Exchange Club Sportsmanship Award. He was involved in the Young Business Man's Association Worthy Boys Camps, and was a Junior Cub of the Lions Club.

Following high school, Van worked construction for a year, and then enlisted in the United States Air Force, serving from 1950 to 1954. He was a radio tower controller and attained the rank of staff sergeant. Returning home, he enrolled in Lambuth College, and then the University of Tennessee College of Medicine, graduating with his medical doctorate in March of 1961.

While at Lambuth, Van met Ruth Evelyn Streeter, a pharmacist, in 1955 and the couple soon married. They had six children during their almost fifty-seven years of marriage, Mark Streeter Wells (deceased), Kirk Oren Wells, Chris Alan Wells (deceased), Kevin Lee Wells, David Keith Wells and Ruth Lyn Wells. Like their parents, most have pursued positions in the medical field.

Van's medical specialty was thoracic and cardiovascular surgery, and he was part of the team responsible for the first open heart surgery in Memphis. He worked primarily out of the Methodist Hospital system in Memphis, and was appointed Chairman of the Thoracic/Cardiovascular Department in 1995 until his retirement from active practice in September of 1997. He received honors from the Memphis Medical Society on January 28, 2012, for fifty years of service in the medical profession. He was also a member of the American College of Surgeons and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons.

In his retirement years, Van continued to pursue many of his hobbies, chief of which was enjoying the company of his eleven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. He also hunted and continued a life long interest in American Indian relics and coin collecting. He was a member of Ducks Unlimited, the National Wild Turkey Federation and the National Rifle Association.

On May 28, 2012, Van passed away at his home in Memphis while surrounded by family.

The family will receive friends on Thursday, May 31, 2012 from 6 p.m. - 9 p.m., at Memphis Funeral Home, Poplar Chapel, and resume on Friday, June 1, 2012 from 5 p.m. - 8 p.m., at the North Chapel of George A. Smith and Sons.

The family asks that memorials be sent either to the American Cancer Society or to St. Jude Research Hospital in Memphis.