Hugh Lundman

(From Gorman-Scharpf Funeral Home)

Dr. Hugh Lundman, M.D., Battlefield, MO, was born June 28, 1940, in Joplin, MO, to Eleanor Satushek Lundman and Hugo Rudolph Lundman, and passed away in his home February 16, 2023, at age 82.

Born and raised in Joplin, Hugh graduated from St. Peter’s (now McAuley) High School in 1958, then attended and graduated from Joplin Junior College (now Missouri Southern), Kansas State College at Pittsburg, KS (now Pittsburg State University), with a B.A. in biology, and the University of Missouri-Columbia medical school.

Hugh married Janie L. Herrin at the Newman Center in Columbia on November 2, 1967, after which the two would share the next 55 years creating wonderful memories. They were blessed with their daughter Hilary in 1971, and the following year Hugh completed his internship and residency in General Surgery at the University of Missouri Medical Center in Columbia.

Armed with the knowledge and skills of a surgeon, Hugh then enlisted in the United States Army where he served as a Major at U.S. Kirk Army Hospital, Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Maryland, from 1972-1974. Upon completion of his service to his country he dearly loved, Hugh and his family moved to Springfield and began his General Surgery Practice, where they were again blessed in 1974 with the birth of their son, Hugh John II.

During his long medical career, Hugh served as Chief of Surgery at St. John’s Hospital (now Mercy), Chief of Surgery at Cox Hospital, President of the Medical Staff at St. John’s, and on the Executive Committees at both hospitals. He was also a member of the first Board of Directors of Springfield Mercy Clinic. Memberships in professional organizations included the Greene County Medical Society, Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, Missouri State Medical Society, and Past President of the Southwest Missouri Chapter of the American College of Surgeons. Medically speaking, even more important to him was the vast amount of time he spent as a volunteer physician at the Kitchen Medical Clinic. After retirement, he served as Medical Director of the Mercy Hospital Institutional Review Board.

As a physician, Hugh will be remembered for many things, especially the cowboy boots he always wore, even with his scrubs; his incredible skills as a surgeon, saving hundreds, if not thousands of lives; speaking his mind, even if it meant ruffling feathers (which he actually enjoyed); his caring, compassion, and empathy for his patients and their families; his sarcasm and sense of humor; driving modest cars which he was known to park so close to his fellow doctors’ double parked exotic cars that they could not open the driver’s side door; trading appendectomies for Amish hats while he had a private practice and could do those things; and his caring for and treatment of his staff. He always deeply valued his relationships with his patients, partners, co-workers, and hospital personnel, and missed them all dearly following his retirement in 2007.

In his personal life, both while being extremely busy as a surgeon and in retirement, Hugh will also be remembered for many wonderful things, including always making time for shooting hoops and playing catch (also in cowboy boots) and taking kids to horseback riding lessons no matter how many hours he had been up and working, attending numerous horse shows and sporting events, wanting to be a cowboy, his amazing photography, model railroading, voracious reading of history, and many, though not enough, adventures in his RV with Janie, dogs, grandsons, in laws, and friends. He was an extremely loving and caring husband, father, and dogfather. This love and caring also applied to his two grandsons, to whom he was a very special Papa. He will be sorely missed by many.

Hugh is survived by wife Janie, daughter Hilary Mertens (husband Marty) of Brookline, MO; son John (fiancée Jennifer Silverberg) of Springfield; special grandsons Cade and Elias Mertens of Brookline; and countless granddogs and grandcats (seriously countless. No one is sure how many. The animal loving genes he passed on were very dominant). Also surviving are sisters- and brothers-in-law Ann and Daryl Hartley, Union, MO, and Lea and Dennis Marienfeld, Columbia, MO, as well as several nieces and nephews.

Hugh and his family request in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Haven of the Ozarks Animal Sanctuary, 9617 Farm Road 2190, Washburn, MO, 65772.

A visitation for Hugh will be held Wednesday, February 22, 6:00-8:00pm, at Gorman-Scharpf Funeral Home, with a short celebration of life at 7:00pm. Graveside services with full military honors will be Thursday, February 23, 11:00am at Missouri Veterans Cemetery.