Francis Edward Dr. O'Neill

Dr. Francis "Frank" Edward O'Neill, age 97, joined his maker and all departed peacemakers in Heaven on April 4, 2012. Frank was the first born of three sons to Fern Mary Glatz and Edward Michael O'Neill, in Kansas City, MO on November 8, 1914.

In 1991, Frank was preceded in death by his dear wife of 51 years, Estella H. Schellhase of Comfort, TX. Shortly after the passing of his father, Frank and Estella bravely faced the tragic death of their third son, Thomas Richard, in 1970. Frank was also preceded in death by his mother; his nephew, John R. in 1974 and his youngest brother, Col. John J. O'Neill in 1984. Then Frank shouldered the illness and death of his second son, Dr. Joseph Anthony in 1996.

Frank is survived by his youngest brother, Dr. James R. O'Neill and wife, Jane of San Antonio; son, Francis "Ed" Edward O'Neill, Jr.; daughter, Mary M. O'Neill Kimball and husband, John P. Kimball, Jr. of Houston, TX; granddaughters: Jennifer O'Neill Ross and husband, Dan, and Maureen O'Neill Clark and husband, Chad; great-grandchildren: Madeline, Connor and Cameron, all of Dallas, TX; grandson, John P. Kimball III and wife, Anna of Houston, TX; grandson, Christopher Francis Kimball, DDS; great-granddaughters; Taylor and Stella of Austin, TX; grandson, Thomas J. O'Neill, MD of El Paso, TX; nephew, Robert J. O'Neill; great-niece, Caitlin; great-nephew, Devin O'Neill; daughter-in-law, Christina R. O'Neill Chitwood and husband, Bill all of San Antonio and sister-in-law, Georgie O'Neill Massa of Welaka, FL.

An exemplary, patient person and peacemaker, Frank lived by devout beliefs as a husband, family man and as a true and honest businessman. As a physician, scientist and educator, he was a prominent leader in his field of radiology for over fifty years; and after retirement, he was a consultant, professor and writer. Having an entrepreneurial spirit, Frank had been instrumental in obtaining the rights for physicians to begin to incorporate. In addition to the medical field, Frank had a multitude of interests and hobbies from world travel, photography and oil painting (which he took up at 80) to cooking mashed potatoes and pancakes.

When Frank was four, all in his family but he had contracted the flu. He administered the medicine and cared for them.

Frank attended Guardian Angel Church and Elementary School through 8th grade, Rockhurst Jesuit High School and College in Kansas City, MO. As a teenager, he worked at the meat packing house where his father was foreman. He received his undergraduate B.A. degree in Chemistry in 1935 from the University of Kansas in Lawrence, from where he would travel home on the weekends to sell ads for the Guardian Angel Church bulletin. Frank went on to attend the University of Kansas Medical School and received his Medical Degree in 1939.

After volunteering for military service, Frank received his commission as a First LT and attended basic training at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas until time to report to Robert B. Green County Hospital in Texas for his required year of internship. It was there that he met Estella H. Schellhase, Instructor of Nurses. Frank and Estella were married at the end of his internship in 1940.

Frank accepted a temporary position practicing General Medicine in Sanderson, TX, while awaiting military orders. He and Estella worked together as the only trained doctor and nurse for miles in Terrell County for six months. Frank was called to active duty in January of 1941, to Fort Sam Houston General Hospital in San Antonio. This began his five years in the Medical Corps, from hospital assignments to field units. Frank's final duties were at William Beaumont Hospital and Fort Bliss, El Paso, TX where he was involved with radiation protection and tolerance to personnel involved in the atomic energy tests and the field unit of the atomic bomb testing site.

After the war ended and he was honorably discharged with the rank of Major, Frank wished to develop his interest in the growing field of diagnostic and therapeutic radiology. He accomplished this by continuing with four years of specialized training at Santa Rosa Hospital in San Antonio, Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology in St. Louis, MO, Washington University and Boston Hospitals. Upon completion of residency programs and licensing, Frank was granted membership in the American Board of Radiology in 1949. He, Estella and their three boys returned to San Antonio where he began his practice.

Frank and his first partner, Dr. Al Thaggard, soon had two offices; one in the Moore Building and the other in the newer Nix Building. With the influx of doctors returning to the city after the war, Frank was instrumental in forming a group of more than 20 physicians to borrow money in order to build a new medical building on the property at Cypress and McCullough which is now known as the Medical Professional Building. Dr. Jerome J. Weisner joined Frank as a partner in O'Neill and Associates and became a lifelong friend. They were consultants for many doctors, clinics and small local, rural and military hospitals in the area.

Active in the field of medicine and the growing branch of radiology, Frank was Chief of Radiology at Santa Rosa Hospital for over 25 years. He was the consultant to the Air Force Surgeon General at Lackland Air Force Base (Wilford Hall), the Texas State TB Hospital as well as other small hospitals and clinics.

Frank started and directed a school for training x-ray technologists under the auspices of Incarnate Word College. Frank and his group developed many educational exhibits for demonstrations at medical meetings. He lectured on investigative studies of blood vessel visualization before radiologists all over the world. He was speaker to the International Congress of Radiology on Special Radiographic Procedures to radiologists in Spain, Mexico, Scotland and Russia.

Frank was Clinical Professor of Radiology at the University of Texas Medical School until his retirement.

Frank held many offices in the various health organizations and societies to include: President of the Bexar County Medical Society of San Antonio, Military Radiological Society, Texas Radiological

Society, American Cancer Society (local chapter) and Pan American Radiological Society.

Frank was also acknowledged as a respected leader of civic and religious activities. He was appointed a Papal Knight of St. Gregory the Great in 1973 by Pope Paul VI, earning the honor of Knight Grand Cross. Frank was a 4th degree Knights of Columbus. He was also a founder, president and long time member of the San Antonio Serra Club and Catholic Physicians Guild of San Antonio. Frank was an honoree of the National Conference of Christians and Jews for his dedicated service to his church and community. He and Estella were the first laymen to serve on the Board of St. Mary's University. In 1987, they became members of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem. Frank was one of the founders of the Bexar County Retired Physicians Society (Dinosaur Club). He also served as a member of the Board of the Nations Bank and was a founding director of the Medical Center Bank. One of the last acknowledgements he received before settling down to a private life of painting and being Grandpa was that of the St. Luke's Physicians Award.

Viewing and visitation will be held on Tuesday, April 10, 2012, from 5:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. at Porter Loring on McCullough Ave.

ROSARY

TUESDAY

APRIL 10, 2012

7:00 P.M.

PORTER LORING CHAPEL

MASS

WEDNESDAY

APRIL 11, 2012

10:00 A.M.

ST. PETER PRINCE OF

THE APOSTLES

CATHOLIC CHURCH

111 BARILLA PLACE

ENTOMBMENT

2:00 P.M.

HOLY CROSS CEMETERY

MAUSOLEUM CHAPEL

Msgr. Lawrence Stuebben to officiate. Pallbearers will be his grandsons, grandsons-in-law and godson, Dr. William Hinchey. Honorary pallbearers will be: Dr. Ed Mueller, Jr., Mr. Ray Neumann, all the Knights of St. Gregory the Great, Judge Richard Price, Dr. Jerome Wiesner, Dr. Marvin Belasco, Mr. John Gambuzza, Dr. Cornelius Neu, and Mr. Malcolm Beck.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in his name may be made to:

Assumption Seminary, 2600 West Woodland, San Antonio, TX 78228; The Retired Sisters of Divine Providence, 515 S.W. 24th Street, San Antonio, TX 78207;

St Peter Prince of the Apostle Catholic Church, 111 Barilla Place, San Antonio, TX 78209; The American Heart Association or The American Cancer Society.