James Gordon Diller (1929 - 2017)

Born 23 May 1929 in Bluffton, Richland Township, Allen, Ohio, United States

Ancestors

Died 3 Jul 2017 at age 88 in Toledo, Lucas, Ohio, United States

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Biography

Dr. James G. Diller, a noted plastic surgeon who practiced in Toledo, Ohio for more than 20 years, passed away on July 3, 2017 at the age of 88. He is survived by his loving and appreciative family: his wife of 65 years Jean (Miller); his daughters Collette Chattopadhyay, Janelle, Jeanine, and Nicole Diller; his son Christopher Diller; seven grandchildren Jacqueline Chattopadhyay, Simca and Luke Bouma, Elena and Celia Diller, James and Grant Murphy; and his sister Ruth (Diller) Sawyer and brother Timothy Diller.

Dr. Diller was born in Bluffton, Ohio to Clarence and Ruth Diller and grew up on the family farm. He graduated from Pandora High School in 1947 as salutatorian of his class, and received a B.A. degree from Wheaton College (Illinois) in 1951, and a M.D. from The Ohio State University in 1955. After a year in Belgium studying French, he earned a Tropical Medicine certificate in 1956 and moved with his wife and first two daughters to serve as a Médecin Agrée for the Belgian government in the Kasai province of the Belgian Congo until 1960.

Upon his return to Ohio, Dr. Diller completed a residency in general and plastic surgery at the Cleveland Clinic and accepted appointments as a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons in 1965 and 1969, respectively. He opened the first plastic surgical practice at the Toledo Clinic and enjoyed privileges at all Toledo area hospitals from 1966-1985, specializing in trauma surgery. He was also elected chief of staff at Flower Hospital and president of the Academy of Medicine of Toledo and Lucas County.

Although he retired from active medical practice following heart surgery in 1985, Dr. Diller undertook further training and became a Fellow of the American College of Physician Executives. He continued to apply his medical and leadership skills to serve the community in new ways, including as president and medical director of Northwest Physicians, Inc., an Independent Practice Association (in Toledo from 1985 to 1993 and 1997 to 2001), and as Medical Director of Aetna (in Toledo from 1993 to 1998).

Both during and after his medical practice, Dr. Diller never forgot his mission experience in the Congo and built a volunteer medical initiative to care for those in need abroad. Challenged by a young local patient in 1974 to go to Haiti to repair the cleft lip of a 12-year old boy, Dr. Diller organized and led annual short-term medical missions to Haiti and the Dominican Republic over the next 20 years with teams of up to 80 local-area surgeons, nurses, and other healthcare providers. More recently, he envisioned and raised seed funding for a clinic in San Juan de la Maguanas, Dominican Republic to provide medical services to many people lacking basic medical care. The clinic is in its final year of construction and aims to bring the people of the region state-of-the-art services, including maternal health care and, for the first time, emergency services.

Along with his public service, Dr. Diller inspired his family and close friends through his steadfast faith, his listening ear, his experience and counsel, and his humor and joie de vivre. In Toledo, he taught Sunday school and gave spiritually inspiring talks to community organizations, at funerals and special events. Music accompanied him throughout life, and he sang in quartets and musicals, played the flute, and whistled harmonies across the years into his final days.

Dr. Diller received many distinguished awards in recognition of his professional accomplishments and service to others. These included: the Sertome Club of Toledo - Service to Mankind Award (1981); the International Physicians Group - Humanitarian Award (1982); the Medical College of Ohio - Distinguished Citizen Award (1993); the Aetna Insurance Company - Arthur Ashe Voice of Conscience Award (1994); the Toledo Surgical Society - Award of Distinction (2004); Flower Hospital - Special Recognition Award (2003); St. Luke’s Hospital - 40 Year Service Award (2006); Promedica Healthcare Network of Northwest Ohio - Health Advocate Award (2006); the Global Medical Mission Hall of Fame Foundation - Medical Mission Hall of Fame Induction and Award (2007).

Friends and relatives may call at the Walker Funeral Home, 5155 Sylvania Ave. (west of Corey Rd.), Toledo, Ohio 43623 on Friday, July 7, 2017, from 4 to 7 pm. Funeral service will be private.

Sources

• https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/sources/K69Y-NXH

• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/58704611/james-gordon-diller