Dr. Stanley Vetter

Dr. John Stanley Vetter, 81, died Wednesday, July 22, 2009 at his home. Dr. Vetter was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee on May 26, 1928, the son of the late John Stanley and Roselle Bird Vetter. After the death of his father, when Dr. Vetter was only 13 months old, his mother moved to her parents’ home in Mt. Olive, North Carolina, where he was reared. While attending the public schools in Mt. Olive, Dr. Vetter received his Eagle Scout. He later graduated from Wake Forest College and Duke University School of Medicine. While at Duke, he received special training in pediatrics at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital in London, England. He interned at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. After completing his internship, he served in the United States Air Force where he attained the rank of Captain and served as a Flight Surgeon and the Base Surgeon. Upon his discharge from the Air Force in 1956, Dr. Vetter spent one year as a Family Practitioner at Carolina Beach before moving to Rockingham in 1957 where he served in family medicine for over 51 years. Funeral services will be held at First Baptist Church in Rockingham on Saturday, July 25, 2009 at 2 p.m. Dr. Lamar King will officiate. The burial will follow at Eastside Cemetery. The family will receive friends Friday evening from 6 to 8 p.m. at Carter Funeral Home in Rockingham. Dr. Vetter loved this community and was extremely active in civic affairs. He served as the president of the Richmond County Medical Society and served three terms as president of the Richmond Memorial Hospital Medical Staff. He was a member of the American Medical Society and the Southern Medical Association. He was also a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Practice and a Diplomat of the American Board of Family Practice. Dr. Vetter desired to give of himself and to make a significant difference in the lives of others. For over 25 years, he was the team physician for the Rockingham High School and the Richmond Senior High School football teams. He was the first president of the initial group championing the teaching and training of students with special needs. As a result, a program for Special Education was established in Richmond County, even before the state program began. In 1963, the County Commissioners appointed Dr. Vetter to head the committee to establish a technical school in Richmond County under the Community College Act during the term of the then, Governor Terry Sanford. This school later developed into what is now Richmond Community College. The bond vote for the technical school passed by one of the largest margins of any bond vote in the county. Dr. Vetter served as the president of the local Heart Association, the Cancer Society and the County Unit of the North Carolina Symphony Association. He was chairman of the committee to publicize the consolidation of the high schools in Richmond County. He served two times as the president of the Rockingham Chamber of Commerce and three times as the president of the Rockingham Cotillion Club. In addition, Dr. Vetter was a past member of the local Board of Directors of Southern National Bank and then a Board Member of Richmond Federal Savings and Loan for thirty-three years where he also served as Chairman of the Board. He was a former member of the Rockingham Civitan Club and was later awarded the “Citizen of the Year” Award by the Civitans and the “Distinguished Service Award” by the Jaycees. He was a member of the Board of Directors of the first Richmond County Civic Index Project and a former member of the advisory board of the Cole Foundation. Dr. Vetter served as the Medical Director of the Richmond County Health Department until shortly before his death. His most recent contribution to the community was in helping to establish a medical clinic at the Health Department which assists older citizens who are uninsured. Dr. Vetter is survived by his wife, the former Sallie Middlebrooks, and two daughters, Martha Vetter who serves as a missionary in Rwanda, and Sara Vetter Mayhew and her husband, Dr. Michael Mayhew of Boone, N.C. and three grandchildren, Kelly Mayhew Caron and her husband, Nate Caron; John Mayhew and Katherine Mayhew. The Vetter family would like to thank the doctors and medical staff at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, the staff of FirstHealth of the Carolinas in Rockingham and Pinehurst, and the staff of Richmond County Hospice. Memorials may be made to the First Baptist Church, 201 N. Randolph St., Rockingham, N.C. 28379 or Richmond County Hospice, 1119 N. US Highway 1, Rockingham, N.C. 28379. Memorials may also be made to the nonprofit ministry in Rwanda of his daughter, Martha, at the National Christian Foundation #11448 and sent to Mrs. John Windsor, 527 Tiffany Drive, Hastings, MN 55033.