DON ALLAN GARD
1937-2021
It is with sadness that we share the passing of Dr. Don Allan Gard, devoted husband, father and dedicated plastic surgeon. He is survived by his devoted wife of 35 years, Phillippa Ellen Gard, three children, Gregory Gard, Jennifer Ellen White and Pamela Ann HarveyWhite, his younger brother Gene Irvin Gard, grandchildren and a loving extended family in Oklahoma, New Zealand and Florida. He died peacefully at home with family on Wednesday, March 24, 2021.
Born on March 20, 1937 in Enid, Oklahoma to Irvin and Marie Gard, Don grew up on a farm near Orienta, Oklahoma where the Gloss Mountains overlook the family homestead in Cheyenne Valley. Don worked on the family farm in the wheat fields, cattle pastures and local grain Co-op. He was active in local choir groups and 4H clubs. He sang tenor and, later in life, enjoyed belting out the theme song to the musical “Oklahoma,” especially when crossing the Texas/Oklahoma border in a car. While his many professional and academic pursuits took him across the world, it is fair to say that part of him never left the red dirt of that valley, and at times he would say “never forget where you come from.”
Graduating in a class of seven from the Cheyenne Valley Consolidated School, he enrolled at Oklahoma State University where he completed his Bachelor’s degree in 1959. He was a proud member of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity at OSU, and it was there that he met his first wife and mother of his son, Shirley Draper Gard.
Don’s medical training was at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. He thrived in medical school and began taking additional graduate courses in biochemistry, physiology, and pharmacology which led to research positions in Endocrinology at Baylor and the College de France in Paris. He graduated from Baylor with a Doctor of Medicine degree in 1963 and a Master of Science degree with honors in 1964. From there, he joined the Public Health Service at the Indian Health Center in Yakimah, Washington where he provided direct, primary healthcare and eventually became the director of the local health center. After two years, he returned to Houston to begin a residency in General Surgery and later General Plastic Surgery, which he completed in 1969. It was also during this time that Don began working as one of the first plastic and reconstructive surgeons at M.D Anderson Hospital’s Head and Neck Surgical group.
Professionally, Don had a long career as a physician, academic, mentor and leader. He entered private practice in plastic surgery at The Methodist Hospital and was a voluntary adjunct faculty member for the Plastic Surgery Section in the Department of Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine until his retirement in 2005. He was an active member in the Houston and Texas Societies of Plastic Surgeons and served as an officer and eventually President of each. He was also a member of the Houston Surgical Society, Texas Surgical Society, American Society of Plastic Surgeons and had multiple other medical affiliations. Don was known in his career as being able to handle difficult cases and worked diligently to provide care to everyone regardless of their ability to pay. His patients always came first, and he was beloved by hospital nurses and staff.
In retirement, Don returned to his roots and became a Master Gardener. He loved the garden and especially digging up the dirt to make a perfect foundation for growing things that would come. He was like that in life, always thinking ahead and laying the foundations. Together, with his wife Phillippa, he had an amazing life filled with love and faith.
The family will gather for a memorial service on Thursday, April 15, 2021 at 2 PM. Guests are invited to join via live-stream at www. christchurchcathedral.org/ memorialservice/.
The family welcomes memorial contributions to Amazing Place, 3755 Drexel, Houston, TX 77027 (www. amazingplacehouston.org/ donate/) and Christ Church Cathedral, 1117 Texas St., Houston, TX 77002 (www. christchurchcathedral.org/ give/).