Obituary for Spencer Grady Mullins M.D. Spencer Grady Mullins Jr. of Marietta passed away May 4, 2018, surrounded by family at Tranquility at Kennesaw Mountain Hospice. Spencer was born on May 29, 1927, in Thomaston, Georgia, to Ouida Carreker Mullins, deceased June 9, 1927, and Spencer Grady Mullins. His father’s subsequent marriage to Ethel Mullins (McGehee) brought him a brother, Joseph Chester Mullins, and a sister, Martha Mullins Brewton.
Spencer served in the US Navy in the Pacific Theater from 1945-1946 during World War II. After the war, he completed a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from the University of Georgia in 1948 and a Doctor of Medicine from the Medical College of Georgia in 1952. His internship was at the Medical College of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia, 1952-1953.
In Richmond, he met the love of his life, Lou Kreger Mullins, and was married in 1952. His surgical residency was at the Medical College of Georgia from 1954 to 1959. He was certified by the American Board of Surgery in 1960.
He practiced General Surgery in Marietta from 1960 to 2002. For Spencer, medicine was a calling, and he was noted for his skill and compassion. Along with his partner, Dr. Michael J. O’Reilly, Spencer was instrumental in development of laparoscopic surgery, and was among the faculty at the Advanced Laparoscopic Training Center in Marietta from 1990 to 1998.
Together, Spencer and Michael published various papers advancing laparoscopic surgical techniques. Spencer was an avid reader of history, classical literature and medical journals as well as western novels and mysteries. His favorite authors were Winston Churchill and C. S. Lewis.
He loved the huge trees in his yard (which he could never cut), his dogs, his family, and especially his wife Lou. Some of the highlights of his retirement years were motorcycle/fishing trips with Michael O’Reilly in the American West. During his career, he enjoyed tennis on his Wednesday afternoon off work.
For rest and relaxation, Spencer savored time at the Georgia and South Carolina coasts. Spencer was a member of the Board of Trustees and Health Advisory Panel at Kennesaw State University, past president of the Kennestone Medical Staff and Cobb County Medical Society, past Chief of Surgery at Kennestone Hospital, and past Chairman of the Kennestone Regional Health Care System Authority and Cobb/Kennestone Hospital Authority, and Emeritus of the Wellstar Board of Trustees. Spencer was a faithful member of the First United Methodist Church of Marietta and a long-time member of the Rotary Club of Marietta.
He is survived by his daughter Sarah Catherine Mullins of Marietta, Joseph Spencer (Elizabeth) Mullins of Greenville, SC, Anne Mullins (Hall) Rigdon of Marietta, Spencer G. Mullins III, of Marietta, and Mary Mullins (Cary) Trippe of Marietta. Grandchildren include John Hall Rigdon, Sarah Louise Rigdon, Elizabeth Anne Mullins Rigdon, William Davis Trippe, Mary Louise Trippe, Charles Spencer Trippe. He is predeceased by his wife Lou Kreger Mullins, parents Spencer Grady Mullins, Ouida Carreker Mullins, and Ethel Mullins McGehee.
Funeral service will be at the First United Methodist Church of Marietta, 56 Whitlock Avenue, Marietta, Georgia, on Wednesday, May 9, at 2:00 PM. There will a reception at the church following the funeral service. Burial will be at Cheatham Hill Memorial Park at 1:00 PM on Wednesday, May 9.
Contributions may be made to Wellstar Foundation (give@wellstar.org), First United Methodist Church of Marietta (www. mariettafumc.org/give), or to Boykin Spaniel Rescue (www. boykinspanielrescue.org).
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