Mourning the loss of my father does not begin to describe the Pop-Pop shaped hole in the lives of our family. On the first day of spring in Fredericksburg, Va. at age 80, the most influential man in our lives crossed the frontier of mortality to be with Jesus in Heaven for eternity. For all of us, he was always there. He was always easy to contact, willing to listen and ready to help. His life exemplified sacrifice and service. He spent nearly 57 years serving his wife Dianne as husband and provider. He spent decades as the best father that a child could ever hope to have for my sister and me.
His strength of character, intelligence and drive was formed in his childhood in Hattiesburg. His desire for success enabled him to graduate from the University of Southern Mississippi a year early and led him to attend the University of Mississippi Medical School in Jackson where he met our mother, Dianne, while they were both medical students. Before entering medical school, he was commissioned as a Lt. (JG) in the US Navy Medical Corps with deferred service until post medical training. Upon graduation from medical school, he started his anesthesia residency in Jackson and finished his residency in Texas. From there he served his active-duty tour for the US Navy in Corpus Christi, Texas. His next chapter took him to the Baylor Hospital in Houston where he practiced anesthesia. In 1977, he moved back to the UMMC in Jackson as a Professor of Anesthesiology and practitioner. During this time, he became recognized as a world class expert on CPR, co-authoring the American Heart Association CPR training manuals with several other Medical Doctors. Through his CPR work, he became acquainted with many influential figures within the CPR specialty. In 1980, he joined the Physicians Anesthesia Group in private practice at St. Dominic Hospital which started a relationship with this community lasting the remainder of his life. In the late 1990s, he ceased practicing medicine and anesthesia transitioning to consulting work until he became the first Medical Director for the St. Dominic Hospital System.
Those who did not know my father professionally, may remember him from his volunteer work as scoutmaster of Troop 96 and as a deacon with Broadmoor Baptist Church in the 1980s and 1990s among other activities. He and my mother became members of St. Matthews UMC in Madison from the early 1990s. Service to his family and community were his primary expression of his faith in God.
Additionally, he enjoyed fishing, traveling, eating out and spending time with his family. His health declined over the last decade, but he spent as much time as he could with my sister and me when he wasn’t at home in Mississippi. He was blessed with an amazing career and he blessed his colleagues, community and family with his amazing attitude of service. He sacrificed his time for others and this was especially true for all of us in his family. We are all better because of him and the world is a little bit darker without him.
He is survived by his wife Dianne Herrin MD, his daughter Rebekah Herrin, his son Thomas Herrin, his daughter-in-law Sun Ju Kim, and his granddaughters Winnie Herrin and Annie Herrin.
There will be a memorial service at St. Matthews UM church in Madison on Saturday July 5 at 9:30 a.m. to honor his life. Please make memorials to: Samaritans Purse or the American Heart Association.
