EDGAR ETIER

August 30, 1919 - September 27, 2007

FORT WORTH -- Edgar Lee Etier Jr., 88, a physician, died peacefully Thursday morning, Sept. 27, 2007, at home surrounded by his family. As we mourn the loss of our precious husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, we celebrate his life of service as a dedicated physician, loyal friend and vibrant volunteer. Memorial service: 4 p.m. Monday at Holy Family Church, 6100 Pershing Ave. Following a private committal service for his family, Ed's cremated remains will be placed on the family plot in Greenwood Memorial Park. His family will receive friends 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday in the Great Room at Robertson Mueller Harper. Memorials: Consideration of contributions to Meals on Wheels of Fort Worth, the Day Resource Center of Fort Worth, St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., or a charity of one's choice, in memory of Dr. Etier, is suggested. He was born on Aug. 30, 1919, to Edgar Lee and Mattie Cordelia Pitcock Etier in Fort Worth. Ed held a deep and abiding love for his hometown, reciting a wealth of Fort Worth trivia and history and embracing an eclectic array of interests. He attended Lily B. Clayton, E.M. Daggett and R.L. Paschal, graduating in the Texas Centennial year, 1936. During the summers of 1937 and 1938, Ed enjoyed performing as a cast member of the original Casa Manana. His lifelong association with TCU began in 1936. He graduated in 1940 with a B.A. in chemistry and biology. During this time he also served with the Texas National Guard Ambulance Co. He received his medical degree from the University of Tennessee Medical School in June 1944 and was a member of Phi Chi medical fraternity. While in medical school, he spent a three-month sabbatical as a United States Public Health Service first aid attendant during construction of the Alaska-Canada (Alcan) Highway. Upon graduation from medical school, he completed a medical internship at Santa Rosa Hospital in San Antonio where he met and married his wife, Patricia, in October 1944. He was commissioned as an officer in the United States Army in March 1945 in the Medical Field Service School at Carlisle, Pa. He served at Valley Forge General Hospital and Mason General Hospital in Long Island, N.Y., where he began training in psychiatry, and also served at Fort Devens, Mass., and Oliver General Hospital in Augusta, Ga. In March 1946 he deployed to Stuttgart, Germany, in the Army of Occupation and was transferred to Wurzburg, Germany, where he served as chief medical officer of Wurzburg Rehabilitation Center. When his wife, Patricia, and infant daughter, Michele, joined him there in July 1946, she became only the 31st American wife in the community. The family returned to the United States in April 1947. Following his terminal leave from the military, he served as the chief resident in internal medicine at Harris Hospital in Fort Worth from July 1947 until July 1949, and then entered private practice in internal medicine. Subsequently he completed postgraduate studies in electrocardiology at Michael Reese Hospital in Chicago as well as internal medicine at Cook County Hospital in Chicago and University of California in San Francisco. His family grew to include two more daughters, Diane and Suzanne, and a son, Lee. In 1958 he joined the Fifth Avenue Clinic, where he practiced internal medicine until the Clinic closed March 31, 1983, when the building and land were sold to accommodate expansion of Harris Hospital. He returned to private practice and in 1986, welcomed his son, Dr. Lee Etier, into the practice. Dr. Etier volunteered as the TCU Athletic Department's first team physician from 1962-1976. He became a good friend and confidant to many of the student athletes, often bringing them home for holiday meals when they could not go to their own homes because of game schedules. He was on the field for every workout, every home game and every "away" game. His regular appearance on the field earned him the name "Dr. Popcorn," especially among local sportswriters. At one out-of-town game, a writer was asked about the man on the sidelines who continued munching popcorn no matter the score. The reporter replied that he was "Dr. Popcorn," and his job didn't depend on the score! Dr. Etier served as medical consultant to Casa Manana as well as several local ballet and orchestra companies. The Etier home hosted many visiting celebrities and those friendships continue today. When the Fort Worth Symphony made its historic trip to China in 1983, he accompanied it as company physician. The photo of the group on the Great Wall of China still hangs in his den. His interest in skiing began in 1947 when he first skied in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. He was a charter member of the Dallas Ski Club and skied in Colorado as often as he could. Summers were spent traveling in the Colorado mountains and Texas. He was an avid bicyclist, often riding 100 miles a week through the Tarrant County countryside. He bicycled through the Loire Valley in France with daughter Diane and enjoyed a Mediterranean cruise with daughter Michele. He loved to travel and made many trips to Europe, especially to Germany and France. Upon retiring in 1992, he served as locum tenens physician in Virginia, Oklahoma, Arizona, Utah and various locations in Texas. In 1998 he joined Fort Worth's Citizens on Patrol and proudly patrolled his route every Tuesday. Dr. Etier served as the chairman of the Tarrant County Charitable Foundation Trust, president of the Texas Society of Athletic Team Physicians and twice served as president of the Fort Worth chapter of the Texas Heart Association and the Fort Worth Club of Internists. He was a member of the Texas Medical Association, the Tarrant County Medical Society, Texas Medical Association Committee on Sports Medicine and the Quinq Club at TCU. He was a member of the Steeplechase Club and the Fort Worth Club and served as president and active member of several local and international wine societies. Survivors: His wife of 63 years, Patricia Nesrsta Etier of Fort Worth; daughters, Michele Etier Davis and her husband, Tom of Houston, Diane Etier Robertson and her husband, Haney of Nacogdoches and Suzanne Etier of Fort Worth; son, Dr. Lee Etier and his wife, Jean of Fort Worth; grandchildren, Thad Davis and his wife, Sherri, Bryan Davis and his wife, Kelly, Shannon Davis and his wife, Mary-Beth, Kathleen Willman and her husband, Kyle, Aimee Etier and Noel Etier; great-grandchildren, Brandt and Blake Davis, Bayli and Max Davis, Maren and Liam Davis and Cassidy and Alex Willman; sister, Jane Ryan of Fort Worth; numerous cousins, nieces and nephews; and a wealth of treasured friends. Robertson Mueller Harper Funerals & Cremations 1500 Eighth Ave., 817-924-4233