IN REMEMBRANCE
In Remembrance
FRANK W. LEHN, MD
April 6, 1932 – July 2, 2017
A Life Well Lived
F
rank was born in Warrensburg, Illinois, population 1,200,
the eldest of four children. He was raised on a small
farm and attended the local schools, graduating first in
his high school class of 20 students. His early years were
typical for any boy in a small farming community in the
U.S. in the 1930s except for one thing; he possessed a very bright
and creative mind.
Attendance at the University of Chicago for two years followed.
Next came two years in the army as a paratrooper. With this adven-
ture behind him, he returned to college, this time at the University
of Louisville with an interest in attending its medical school from
which he was graduated in 1961. Next came an internship at the
University of Miami, Internal Medicine at Emory, and a fellowship
in Rheumatology at the University of Alabama.
Ten years after arriving in Louisville, he returned fully-trained
with his wife, Tish, and four children. Quickly, Frank established
a busy practice as an internist and rheumatologist, and joined the
UofL faculty. Dr Lehn helped establish a division of Rheumatology,
a fellowship in Rheumatology and a new research laboratory. One
could say he hit the ground running. A fellow this busy always
finds time for entrepreneurial activities, such as buying and selling
farms, horses, cows, boats, cars and buildings (including his old
high school).
Frank’s true nature was revealed in his warm, positive manner.
He would not recognize adversity if it hit him in the head, which
it did on several occasions. If you smack into a timber jump while
going wide open in a steeplechase, it can ruin your entire day. But
for Frank, fox hunting and steeplechasing were favorite hobbies,
which he pursued vigorously in many states and in Ireland.
Family, friends, medicine: he loved them all. His last years were
not easy, due to multiple health issues, but with the constant love
and care from his wife, Valla, over the last decades, they were happy
and full.
Frank was a good guy who loved life and is missed by his children:
Debbie, Becky, Nancy, Frank Jr., and Mike, as well as his stepdaugh-
ters Valla Ann, Stephanie, and their families. We all miss him a lot.
His pal,
David Nightingale, MD
Dr. Lehn was a GLMS member for 52 years
OCTOBER 2017
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