Dr. Ronald Eugene Hubbard

Dr. Ronald Eugene Hubbard, age 83, passed away on July 7, 2023, surrounded by his family. “The trumpets played and the angels sang when God called him home!”

Born in Little Rock, AR on June 16, 1940, Ron was the older son of the late C.R. (Bob) Hubbard and the late Ruby Hart Hubbard. He was also preceded in death by his only sibling, Richard Alan Hubbard.

He is survived by his loving and devoted wife of 49 years, Linda Ann Parsons Hubbard, and his four daughters and their families: Holly Kathryn Hubbard (Michael Ferrand), Hayden Hubbard Weirich (Darren), Amy Elizabeth Hubbard and Rebecca Ellen Hubbard Meister (Jon), and his seven grandchildren, Emily Elise Heine, William August (Gus) Jude Heine III, Otto Kurt Weirich, Haley Camille Meister, Andrew (Drew) Milan Meister, Ellison Claire Runkel, and Riley Emmett Meister. Survivors also include his nephews, Richard Alan Hubbard and John Paul Hubbard (Anna), and his sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Lisa Parsons Mohon (Phillip) and William J. Parsons, Jr.

It is hard to abbreviate the story of a life that touched so many people both personally and professionally. Ron was president of his senior class at Little Rock Central High School in 1958, the largest public high school in the nation at the time, and also the year when the schools were integrated in Little Rock. The 101st Airborne spent the school year on the football field to ensure the safety of the African American students.

He was small in stature but very athletic. He played Little League, Pony League and Legion League baseball with well-known Baltimore Oriole third baseman, Brooks Robinson. He excelled as a track star and held state records for several events for years after graduation.

Ron graduated from Hendrix College in Conway, AR and then attended medical school at the University of Arkansas in Little Rock. After his sophomore year at Hendrix, he married his high school sweetheart, Karen (Kay) June Brengartner, the mother of three of his four daughters. After completing medical school Ron completed his internship in Tulsa, OK and then served for three years in the United States Navy as a Lt. Commander. His service included a year in Vietnam as a Ship's Doctor responsible for eleven destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin and served on the Commodore’s staff. Following his military service, he and his family moved to Memphis to start his formal training in Head and Neck Maxillofacial Surgery. Unfortunately, after his first year of residency, he and his wife divorced, and she and the girls moved back to Little Rock. Upon finishing his residency, he had many offers by doctors all over the United States to go into practice, but he made the decision to stay in Memphis to become the partner of Dr. M. Coyle Shea, an eminent ear surgeon, respected and known worldwide. In over three decades of practice together, they never had a cross word, instead complimenting each other's skills as they treated patients from all over the world.

In 1972, Ron met the love of his life, Linda Ann Parsons, a surgical nurse he met at a rhinoplasty course. The two dated 2 ½ years and shortly after he finished his residency, in January 1975 they married. By November of 1976, Ron and Linda added another daughter to the family totaling four! The older they became, their love and their faith became stronger and stronger.

Ron was one of the most respected physicians of his time in his specialty. At the time of Ron’s retirement in 2004, he had pioneered, taught and performed more transsphenoidal pituitary surgeries than anyone else in the world, perfecting the procedure by designing surgical instruments and supplies that are still in use today. He was a gentle, but focused, physician who always had his patients’ best interests at heart. His favorite patients were the many Down’s Syndrome kids whose frequent ear problems he took care of. If any child required surgery, he always personally took them from their parents to the operating room keeping them calm and cooperative.

When he decided to retire in 2004 at the age of 63, Ron was serving as Chief of Staff at Baptist Hospital in Memphis, TN. Both Ron’s patients and his peers were very upset about his retirement…his patients because they only wanted him for their care, and his peers because he was the “go to” doctor in his specialty for any complicated problems and often advised and assisted other physicians.

Ron was a man of many talents and was often called a “modern day renaissance man.” He tried every hobby anyone could think of, was self-taught, and in everything he did, he gave 150%. Photography, wood carving, painting, hunting, fishing, and restoring old cars and motorcycles were some of his favorite hobbies. A selection of his restored motorcycles are in the Barber Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham, AL. He became interested in metal working and set up a shop in the basement that would rival any professional’s. He taught himself to weld and to make anything he or his friends wanted or needed that was made of metal. He was like a sponge whose thirst for knowledge never went away. He became an avid Biblical history student, reading and studying for hours at a time every day.

Along the way, and as he had more leisure time, he took up golf. He played in Memphis and traveled all over playing with his friends. In 1996 the Hubbard’s bought a second home and became members of the Grandfather Golf and Country Club in Linville, NC. Upon retirement, they moved to Johnson City, TN to be closer to their beloved mountain home. With a wonderful art facility at Grandfather, Linda spent her time painting and he played golf every day, including Sundays after church.

Raised in church by his parents, the older he became, the more important his faith became, and he began to study the bible tirelessly. While members of Munsey Methodist Church in Johnson City, the couple also worshiped and were active at the Chapel by the Lake at Grandfather, and eventually Arbordale Presbyterian Church in Banner Elk, NC.

So, though they both began to have so many health issues their faith in God and love for each other and their family became even stronger. Their daughters and their extended families were so scattered, they did not get to spend as much time with them as they would have liked, but their love was always there.

Visitation will be held on Wednesday, July 12, 2023 at 11:00 am at Munsey Memorial United Methodist Church in Johnson City, TN with a service following at 12:00 pm. A burial with full military honors will be held at Mountain Home National Cemetery in Johnson City at 2:00 pm on the same day.

There will also be a memorial service at Grandfather Golf and Country Club at a later date.

Memorials can be sent to Chapel by the Lake, ℅ P.O. Box 785, Linville, NC 28646 or Arbordale Presbyterian Church, 6619 Hickory Nut Gap Road, Banner Elk, NC 28604-6769.