Byron Park Obituary

Just 98 days shy of his 100th birthday, Dr. Byron James Park died peacefully on July 1, 2025, at Friends Fellowship Community. The paternal grandson of Irish immigrants, Byron was born on October 7, 1925, to Frank Torrens and Blanche Janney Park in Muncie, Indiana, and moved to Richmond in 1932. A graduate of Richmond High School, he attended Earlham College and graduated from DePauw University. He earned M.S. and M.D. degrees from Indiana University and was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha, the medical school's honorary society. During WWII, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and was assigned to the Navy V-12 program, which trained officer candidates. After the war, he remained in the Naval Reserve, and during his postgraduate surgical training was called to active duty for 24 months during the Korean War. He served primarily as a medical officer to the 1st Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment. Following completion of his postgraduate training in Indianapolis hospitals, he became the first fully trained orthopaedic surgeon to practice in the Richmond area. While known as a caring physician, the loves of his life were his wife, Elizabeth "Betty" Jane Mills, to whom he was married on June 19, 1949, and their family. He was always encouraging and supportive of her and their family and all their activities, goals, and challenges. He made every effort to attend events in which their children were involved. During their retirement, a special delight for Byron and Betty was taking each of their grandchildren on week-long educational trips. Having no siblings, Byron especially enjoyed his relationships with his wife's siblings, the late Walter Mills, of Bloomington, Indiana, and the late Carol Schlegel, of Columbus, North Carolina, and their spouses. Widely respected in the orthopaedic surgery community, he was the 16th president of the Indiana Orthopaedic Society, hosting the 1974 meeting in Richmond at Reid Hospital. He was a Diplomat of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery and an Emeritus Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. For ten years, he served as an oral examiner for the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery examinations. He was a member of the Clinical Orthopaedic Society and a charter member of the Mid-America Orthopaedic Association. From 1967 to 1984 he was the Director of the Center of Services for Crippled Children of the Indiana State Department of Public Welfare. With CARE-Medico's Orthopaedics Overseas, he served four months in the 1970s as a visiting teaching specialist at the Dario Contreras Orthopaedic Hospital in the Dominican Republic. He served several years as orthopaedic consultant to the Earlham College athletic teams, as well as ten years on the Board of Advisors of Indiana University East. He retired after 30 years of private practice. He and Betty divided their time between Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and Fort Myers, Florida, while also fulfilling several travel dreams. In 2005, they moved to Friends Fellowship Community in Richmond. He and Betty considered these new chapters in their lives as opportunities for new friends and experiences. He served others throughout his retirement years as a volunteer for Meals on Wheels, a member of Golden K Kiwanis, and in numerous capacities at Friends Fellowship, including regular visits with residents in the FFC health center. He and Betty loved to play bridge together, and he continued to play and even teach bridge through the age of 98. During their time living near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, he enjoyed hiking with family members and friends. Raised in the Presbyterian church, he served as a ruling elder at both Reid Memorial Church in Richmond and Gatlinburg Presbyterian Church. At the time of his death, he was a member of First Presbyterian Church of Richmond. He was preceded in death by Elizabeth "Betty," his wife of 66 years. He will be greatly missed by their four children: William M. Park (Anne) of Lenoir City, Tennessee; Kathryn A. Stephen (Dennis) of Richmond, Indiana; Carolyn P. Alexander of Bourbon, Indiana; and Lawrence A. Park (Mary Rose) of Fort Myers, Florida. He will be lovingly remembered by eight grandchildren: Rebekah Dine (Erik) of Holland, Michigan; Emily Purnell (Hunter) of Knoxville, Tennessee; Daniel Park (Brook) of Knoxville, Tennessee; Ashley Stephen of Richmond, Indiana; Andrea Einterz (Rob) of Brownsburg, Indiana; Jeremy Park (Rebecca Calman) of Brooklyn, New York; Andrew Alexander of Long Beach, California; and Elizabeth Bell (Jon) of Jasper, Indiana, as well as by his twenty-one great-grandchildren. We express our sincere appreciation to the staff members at Friends Fellowship who served Dad and Mom so well over the years and to all the extended family members and friends who supported Dad and prayed for him as his health declined this past year. Special thanks go to the nursing staff at Friends Fellowship and the team at AseraCare Hospice for the tender, loving care given to Dad in his last few months. Friends may call on Sunday, July 13, 2025, from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. at Doan and Mills Funeral Home, 790 National Road W, Richmond. A funeral service will be held at First Presbyterian Church, 100 N. 10th Street, Richmond, on Monday, July 14, 2025, at 10:30 a.m., followed by burial at Earlham Cemetery. A memorial service will be held on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. in the Community Room at Friends Fellowship Community, 2030 Chester Blvd., Richmond. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to: First Presbyterian Church, 100 N. 10th Street, Richmond, IN 47374; Indiana University Foundation, Byron and Elizabeth Park Scholarship Fund, 2325 Chester Blvd., Springwood Hall Suite 103, Richmond, IN 47374; or Friends Fellowship Community, 2030 Chester Blvd., Richmond, IN 47374.
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