Dr. Howard Fugate Jr., 90, of Christ the King Manor, DuBois, went home to be with the Lord on Friday, July 8, 2016 of natural causes.
He was born Oct. 5, 1925 in Cincinnati, Ohio, the son of Howard Fugate Sr., and Sarah Kathryn (Kethledge) Fugate.
He attended Sykesville High School graduating in 1943 with high honors, lettered in three sports for four years and played the trumpet in the band. He was an Eagle Scout and a Rhodes Scholar.
He continued his education at the Pennsylvania State University and played on the football team. He also played the trumpet in the Blue Band.
His education was interrupted by World War II, at which time he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served as a Pharmacists Mate Second Class from 1944 to 1946.
Following an honorable discharge, he married the love of his life, Elaine Louise Smyers, in San Diego, Calif., on Dec. 9, 1944.
Together, they settled in State College so he could complete his education at the Pennsylvania State University and he graduated in 1948.
He then continued his education at Thomas Jefferson Medical College and graduated in 1952 as a family doctor.
His medical practice began in Moorestown, NJ, serving as a family physician from 1952 to 1969. While he lived there, he served as a doctor on-call for local police and as the high school football team doctor. He was a member of the Kiwanis Club and the First Presbyterian Church of Moorestown.
He was on the staff of the Pennsylvania Hospital and Thomas Jefferson Hospital of Philadelphia. He then became a doctor of Internal Medicine and moved to Punxsutawney in 1969 followed by a move to DuBois in 1971. While practicing medicine in the DuBois area, he served both the DuBois and Maple Avenue Hospitals.
He was a medical pioneer by introducing new techniques, such as the insulin pump in a patient, cardiac stress testing, echocardiography rehabilitation and cardiac care.
In addition, he was the founder and director of the “Cardiac Kids,” which was designed to promote activities and exercises for patients who have heart disease. This was a dream for his patients who culminated in the writing of his book entitled, “The Road to a Healthy Heart: Cardiac Rehabilitation.”
He was also instrumental in establishing the neo-natal cardiac, ICU and the neo-natal echocardiography at Maple Avenue Hospital in DuBois.
Later in his medical career, he served as president of the Pennsylvania Society of Internal Medicine. Throughout his career, he received numerous awards for his medical achievements. He was well loved and called “Doc” by everyone.
He became the father of five children, Kathleen (Fugate) Messinger and her husband, Gary of Slate Run, Dr. Jeffrey S. Fugate and his wife, Gayle of Mechanicsburg, Dr. Howard Fugate III and his wife, Annette of DuBois, Dr. Kenneth K. Fugate and his wife, Carol of Punxsutawney and the Rev. Robert H. Fugate and his wife, Cheryl of Mexico.
God continued to bless him with 16 grandchildren, 34 great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren.
He and his wife celebrated 63 years of marriage together before she went home to be with the Lord on Nov. 29, 2008. He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife and a brother, James K. Fugate
His first love was his faith in God, followed by love of his family, medicine and Penn State football of which he was a faithful fan.
He was a member of the DuBois Alliance Church and a man of great faith, accepting Christ as his Savior and sharing his faith with all. His favorite chapter in the Bible was the love chapter: I Corinthians 13, which he quoted many times.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, at the DuBois Alliance Church, with the Rev. Robert H. Fugate, the Rev. Gary R. Messinger and the Rev. Timothy Shutes co-officiating.
Burial will follow in Beulah Cemetery, Reynoldsville with full military honors being accorded by the DuBois Area Honor Guard.
Friends will be received from 4 p.m. – 7 p.m. Sunday at the Mohney-Yargar Funeral Chapel Inc., DuBois, and from 10 a.m. – 11 a.m. Monday at the church.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that memorial contributions go to support his son’s missionary ministry in Mexico and his daughter’s church in Cedar Run, Pa.
Checks can be made payable to the Cedar Run Baptist Church and mailed to Kathy Messinger, P.O. Box 76, Slate Run, PA 17769.
To send online tributes, go to www.mohneyyargarfuneralchapel.com or www.mem.com.