Obituary of Eugene Mezger

Eugene Mezger, M.D., age 86, died on December 30, 2014 in Eugene, Oregon. He was born January 20, 1928 in Philadelphia and attended Frankford High School, the University of Pennsylvania, College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Medicine. He served as a Medical Corpsman in the Army of the United States at the end of World War II.After graduation from Medical School, Dr. Mezger was an intern and resident in pathology at the Geisinger Hopsital in Danville, Pennsylvania when he met and married Eloise “Tinker” Hunt. They moved to Detroit where Dr. Mezger continued his pathology training at Henry Ford Hospital. He then was Associate Pathologist at Detroit Memorial Hospital, Cottage Hospital and Wayne State University. He moved to Lakeland, Florida in 1960 where he practiced at Lakeland General Hospital, Polk County Hospital and Bartow Hospital. He also was a Medical Examiner for Polk County.He returned to Detroit in 1976 to Henry Ford Hospital where he was head of the Microbiology Division of the Department of Pathology and also supervised the Pathology Residency Training program. Dr. Mezger was a member of the state and county medical societies and the American Medical Association, as well as the American Society for Clinical Pathologists, the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology, the College of American Pathologists (CAP) and the American Society for Microbiology. He was also an inspector for the CAP laboratory accreditation program.Dr. Mezger was a member of the Grosse Point Memorial Church, the Detroit Institute of the Arts, the Senior Men’s Club of Grosse Pointe and the Men’s Garden Club of Grosse Pointe. He was also president of the Polk County chapter of the American Cancer Society. He was a Presbyterian elder, Sunday School teacher, Logos teacher and participated in his church’s Parish Life and Healing and Wholeness Councils. He especially enjoyed family vacations to the beach, state parks, the Florida Keys and Everglades. Other interests included sailing, gardening, photography, reading, art and the theatre.He was preceded in death by his wife Tinker. He is survived by his daughter, Cynthia Ramsey; daughter, Elise (Ray) Weldon; son, Hunt (Takae); and three grandchildren, Sara Zagarino, Nicholas and Nyle Weldon.A memorial service will be held at a later date. Interment will be in Danville, Pennsylvania. Donations may be made to the Grosse Pointe Memorial Church, the Salvation Army, the American Cancer Society or the Detroit Institute of Arts.Arrangements entrusted to Musgrove Family Mortuary. Please access the obituary and you are invited to sign the guestbook at musgroves.com.