lit a candle 26d agomy mom called me first thing about this, she said she remembered him from when she worked at the hospital in Lexington years ago. 93 years old. she just kept saying what a gentle man he was
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Dr. John Plumlee, a retired anesthesiologist who spent much of his career on the faculty of the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, died on September 26, 2026, at the age of 93. He was widely remembered in Lexington, Kentucky, medical circles as a patient teacher, a steady mentor, and,…
Dr. John Plumlee, a retired anesthesiologist who spent much of his career on the faculty of the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, died on September 26, 2026, at the age of 93. He was widely remembered in Lexington, Kentucky, medical circles as a patient teacher, a steady mentor, and, to his family, simply as "Pop."
Plumlee came from a long line of physicians. According to his obituary, he was <cite index="1-3">a fifth-generation physician, earning his MD and completing Anesthesiology residency at the University of Missouri in Columbia following an internship at Loma Linda.</cite> Before settling into academic medicine, <cite index="1-3">he served in the Public Health Service as staff anesthesiologist at the National Institute of Health in Bethesda, Maryland.</cite> He was also, in his younger years, an Eagle Scout, and he was a graduate of Drury College in Springfield, Missouri.
His professional life was built in Kentucky. <cite index="1-4">After joining the faculty at the University of Missouri, he was recruited to help build the Anesthesiology Department at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, spending much of his career as a professor there.</cite> <cite index="1-5">He was also Chief of Anesthesiology at the Veterans Administration in Lexington, and later an anesthesia staff member at Central Baptist Hospital and Medical Heights Surgery Center.</cite> Beyond the operating room, <cite index="3-1">he served on the Board of Directors of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, was a Fellow of the American College of Anesthesiology, and a member of the Fayette County Medical Society and Kentucky Medical Association.</cite> Colleagues who trained under him recalled that in the operating room he was known as a great teacher and a calming presence, a reputation that outlasted his retirement and shaped generations of anesthesiologists who passed through the University of Kentucky program.
Plumlee was the son of the late Dr. William C. and Effie D. Plumlee, and he was predeceased by his sister, Billie Ruth Cox, and brother in law, Charles Cox. He is survived by his children, Dr. Sheila Plumlee Sanders, Scott C. Plumlee, and Stuart D. Plumlee, along with grandchildren and great grandchildren. No spouse was named in the family's published obituary, and it is not publicly known whether he had a wife who predeceased him or whether he was unmarried in his later years.
Dr. Plumlee died on September 26, 2026. No cause of death has been made public. His family, in a statement released through Kerr Brothers Funeral Home in Lexington, described a private man of gentle Christian faith who was quick to reassure loved ones with the words "You're silly" and "It will be okay." A private family service is planned in the Woodford County countryside, and the family has asked that memorial gifts be directed to the Fayette County Humane Society or a charity of the donor's choosing in lieu of flowers.
Biography adapted from News reports and the sources cited on this page; death reported by Legacy obituary.
That's sweet that she remembered him like that.