Dr. James K. “Jim” Avery, 89, of Ann Arbor, MI, passed away on April 16, 2011 at Arbor Hospice. He was born August 6, 1921, in Holly, CO, to the late Willard Smith Avery, D.D.S., and Bertha Knuckey Avery. Jim enjoyed growing up in Pueblo, CO. His sister, Julia May Avery, died there in 2010. He is survived by his wife Dorothy “Dody” Thuerk Avery; daughter Nancy Jane Avery of Bellingham, WA; son David Lloyd Avery (Susan) of Beaver Island, MI; and son Robert Hugh Avery (Carol) of Coleman, MI. He is also survived by four grandchildren; John Paul Wilson and Alan James Avery of Bermuda, and Sarah Victoria Avery and Forrest Nathaniel Nevill Avery of Beaver Island. Jim also leaves behind other family members and special friends who loved him dearly. He was very caring and was the ultimate gentleman to his final day. Jim received his D.D.S. degree from the University of Kansas City in 1945. He then served for two years as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy, putting his dentistry skills to work in Guam. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Rochester, New York, where he met his wife, Dorothy, and they married in 1950. He joined the faculty of the University of Michigan as an assistant professor of dentistry in 1954, was promoted to associate professor in 1959, and to professor in 1963. He also was appointed as professor of anatomy in the Medical School in 1971. He held several administrative positions in the School of Dentistry, including chairman of the Department of Oral Biology. In 1970 Jim was appointed associate director of U of M’s Dental Research Institute; he later was promoted to director and served until 1987. In the mid-1970s, Jim was elected president of the International Association for Dental Research, through which he met scientists from around the world. He is a past chairman of the American Association of Dental Schools’ Anatomical Sciences section, and he served as consultant on research to the Veterans Administration Hospital of Ann Arbor. He received the American Academy of Dental Medicine Award and was elected a fellow of the American College of Dentists and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Jim was humble about his many accomplishments, and felt that they were never as important as his students were to him. Jim retired in 1991 but became a devoted volunteer with several organizations including Dawn Farm, for which he served as a trustee for many years, and with Mended Hearts. He spent countless hours visiting with hospital patients on behalf of Bethlehem United Church of Christ. He also continued revising and publishing updated editions of earlier textbooks that he wrote. Jim served as a Scoutmaster for the Boy Scouts from 1966 to 1970. Cremation has taken place. A memorial service to celebrate Jim’s life will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Monday, April 25, at Bethlehem United Church of Christ, 423 S. Fourth Ave., Ann Arbor. In lieu of flowers, contributions in his memory may be made to Dawn Farm, to the Boy Scouts of America, or to a charity of your choice. Jim Avery lived a full life and he will be missed.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18