FUNK – Obituary for F. James Funk, Jr, MD (1920–2008)

Forest James (Jim) Funk Jr, MD, died Saturday, December 6, 2008, at the Piedmont Hospital from complications of diverticulitis at the age of 88. The world of orthopaedics lost a giant that day.

Jim was born in Wilmington, Delaware, and graduated from Emory University and Medical School. His orthopaedic training was at Grady Memorial Hospital, Duke University, Kennedy Hospital in Memphis, and Boston Children’s Hospital. After completing his training in 1952, he returned to Atlanta and began practice at Piedmont Hospital. In 1960, Jim, Robert Wells, and Joseph (Scoot) Dimon founded the prestigious Peachtree Orthopaedic Clinic, where he worked until his retirement. Jim and Scoot performed the first total hip replacement in Atlanta in 1969, Jim performed the first arthroscopic knee surgery in Atlanta.

One of Jim’s passions was sports medicine and he became the first team physician for the Atlanta Falcons and team physician for the Atlanta Braves. He was very involved with the players, and traveled extensively with the teams. He became close friends with many of the players, including Tommy Nobis. He also was a volunteer physician for athletes of the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.

Download PDF for full obituary fromClinical Orthopaedics and Related Research

Attachments:

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