HERITAGE FUNERAL HOME - INDIAN TRAIL
Dr. Lynn Fort III, 83, of Charlotte, North Carolina, died peacefully at home with his family on Tuesday, June 2, 2020. Born January 17, 1937 in Atlanta, Georgia, he was the only child of Florence Young Fort and Dr. Lynn Fort Jr.
Dr. Fort grew up in West Palm Beach, Florida, and graduated in 1954 from Palm Beach High School. He was a member of the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity and was chosen as an outstanding member of his high school class numerous years. An accomplished athlete, he earned all-state honors in both football and baseball. He elected to attend Duke University in Durham, North Carolina on a partial football scholarship, where he majored in premed and joined the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity.
After two and a half years of undergraduate studies, he was accepted into Duke University Medical School. He met his loving and devoted wife Marian on a blind date at Duke and they married in 1959. He received his M.D. in 1960. Dr. Fort completed his internship and junior residency at Duke University Hospital. In 1962, he began his military service in the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps as a surgeon stationed at the National Heart Institute of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland. He was discharged in 1964 with the rank of Lieutenant Commander. He then continued his clinical training at Duke, finishing as chief resident in 1968, and passing both general and thoracic boards within a year.
Having joined Charlotte Surgical Group in 1968, Dr. Fort had a successful career of 30 years operating at all six local hospitals and seeing patients in the office with his long-time, valued nurse, Linda Gluck, RN. For a time, Dr. Fort served as chief of surgery at Presbyterian Hospital (now Novant Health Medical Center). As a surgeon with Charlotte Surgical Group, Dr. Fort assisted in the training of residents at Carolinas Medical Center for many years. Residents and operating room nurses appreciated his calm demeanor. He was respected by his peers and beloved by his patients, and retired from medical practice in 1997.
Dr. Fort was an avid fan of Duke basketball and an original Iron Duke member. A dog lover, he and his beloved labradoodle Winston spent many hours together at the neighborhood dog park. He loved playing golf at Charlotte Country Club, where he was a long-time member. Crossword puzzles and duplicate bridge were also favorite pastimes. Dr. Fort was a regular participant at bridge games at the Charlotte Bridge Center, where he served as a board member and achieved the ACBL Masterpoints rank of Gold Life Master. He enjoyed the annual Fort family beach vacations in Pawleys Island, South Carolina, as well as memorable family trips to Normandy and Paris.
He was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. He took great pleasure in spending time with family, making everyone feel special and cherished. Despite his busy career, he rarely missed a child's performance or school function. He was known for encouraging his daughters by saying, "It'll put hair on your chest," "Rub a little dirt in it," "Shake it off," and "Look it up." He learned to wait patiently for all five of the women in his household to finally be ready to depart for a particular destination. He will be remembered for his unconditional love, sense of humor, kindness, patience, intelligence, incredible memory, strong work ethic, and devotion to family. Being a humble man of few words, when asked for his input for this obituary, he simply said "Just say 'He tried his best.'"
Dr. Fort was predeceased by his parents, his infant daughter Mary Elizabeth Fort, and his eldest grandson Robert Tomlinson Wylie. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Marian Fort, his daughters and their spouses Elizabeth Wylie (Robert), Carolyn Kromer (Paul), Janet Fort, and Kathryn Fitzpatrick (Mark), his grandchildren Lauren Billings (Steven), David Wylie, Derek Kromer, Jeffrey Kromer, Olivia Kromer, Jack Fitzpatrick, and Sam Fitzpatrick, and his great-grandchildren Cooper Billings and Grace Billings.
The family would like to thank the staff at Hospice and Palliative Care of Charlotte Region, his insightful hospice nurse, Chelsea Summers, and the many friends who provided constant love and support during Dr. Fort's illness. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Hospice and Palliative Care of Charlotte Region, PO Box 470408, Charlotte, NC, 28247.
A private service will be held for the family and a celebration of Dr. Fort's life will be announced at a later date. Arrangements are in the care of Heritage Funeral Home - Indian Trail Chapel. Remembrances may be offered in the online guestbook at www.heritagecares.com.
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