IN REMEMBRANCE
PAUL FLEITZ, MD
June 23, 1935 – May 22, 2019
O
ur family friend, Dora, said Paul always wanted to be
a doctor. He became a doctor after graduating from
medical school in 1961 at the University of Louisville. He
completed a residency with Dr. Eugene Connor, Chairman
of the Department of Anesthesiology. His children, Paul
Jr. and Angela, learned to spell anesthesiology at an early
age. He was president of the Kentucky Society and of the
Louisville Society of Anesthesiologists.
He left St. Anthony Hospital, winning a Corvette which he drove
every day to the Alliant Medical Pavilion from 1977 until retirement.
He missed his friends: Clancy, George, Cal, Bob and Jim.
He also fondly recalled the doctors at the Old Methodist Hospital
included Russ, Bud, Herb, Gene, Al and Orville, who began seeing
each other once a month at the Boat Club for lunch with their
wives and others including Anita and Joyce! It’s impossible to forget
the times that the retired doctors spent at the Donut Kastle. An
employee said that members enjoy each other’s company so much
that, when it is time to leave the room, they gather outside the
building for another 30 minutes or longer. They were remembered
as very sociable and garrulous.
Paul marked 50 years since his UofL School of Medicine
graduation in 2011. His hard work with Dr. Bob DeWeese, Dr.
Frank Lehn and Dr. James Forde was rewarded with a luncheon
with Dean Edward C. Halperin and a guided tour of the Paris
Simulation Center and the Arch E. Cole Memorial Laboratory for
and his wife Angela, and a dinner at the Pendennis Club were great
fun for all.
Paul enjoyed woodworking classes with Ted Harlan. The
continued use of the wooden box and the much-used table are
worth the effort. Paul always sang in church, in the shower, and
with friends. He studied and played the guitar with good results.
He traveled to Alaska and the Panama Canal with his children and
grandchildren. Friendships with Dr. Jim and Joan Heins and their
family were ongoing.
Paul was always a booster of UofL football, basketball and
opening day at the track.
Recently, a night at Martini restaurant with surgical nurses added
to the happy days of his life.
Once, Paul was asked “What are the things that you remember
most about medical school?” He answered that it was Dr. Noer
explaining the absence of surgery student call room, “If I thought
you would have had time to rest, I would have provided one!”
No longer in need of rest, we hope and pray Paul and his friend
Jesus are pals forever! We’ll always remember Paul as someone who
loved his work, his friends and his family.
Smooth sailing my friend. I love you.
Your devoted wife, Liz
- Elizabeth Fleitz
Gross Anatomy located in the Instructional Building of the current
school of medicine. A reception at the home of Dr. Bob DeWeese,
Dr. Fleitz was a GLMS member for 55 years.
AUGUST 2019
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