Dr. Charles Sumner Neer, II

© Luginbuel Funeral Home of Vinita
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Submitted by: Annajo Cantrell Limore

Charles Sumner Neer, II son of pioneer Oklahoma Territory surgeon Charles S. Neer and Pearl Brooke Neer was born and raised in Vinita, Oklahoma. A graduate of Dartmouth College and the University of Pennsylvania Medical School, his residency training years were interrupted by military service in World War II as an orthopaedic surgeon. He served in three theaters a Captain in the Army. Following the war he returned to Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York to complete his training and join the staff of the Presbyterian Hospital and faculty of the College of Physicians & Surgeons of Columbia University. It was a relationship that endured for fifty years. Until his passing Dr. Neer continued as Emeritus Consultant in Orthopaedic Surgery and Emeritus Professor & Special Lecturer in Clinical Orthopaedic Surgery.

Throughout his brilliant career he was a highly-valued member of his profession receiving many honors nationally and internationally, especially for his contributions in shoulder surgery and reconstruction. He was nominated by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery and the American Orthopaedic Association as their representative on the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, a position for which he earned the Board's Distinguished Service Award. Dr. Neer was Founding President, American Shoulder & Elbow Surgeons, Founding Chairman of the Board of Trustees of The Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery.

Dr. Neer was a tireless teacher and was Visiting Professor or Lecturer at over forty American universities and colleges and more than twenty international institutions. He trained over fifty fellows and countless visitors from around the globe; many have gone on to become the outstanding surgeons of their generation in this specialty.

Dr. Neer and the Shoulder Service at Columbia-Presbyterian M.C. published hundreds of articles on every aspect of shoulder surgery. His book Shoulder Reconstruction is affectionately referred to as “the bible” for modern shoulder surgery. In a 2010 article in the Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery, British, Dr. Neer was recognized as the most cited author in orthopaedic surgery.

Despite all his professional successes Dr Neer remained a humble man who prided himself on intellectual honesty. His slow, thoughtful, deliberate manner, wit, and warm smile will always be remembered. He loved God, his Country, and of course his wonderful family. Dr Neer enjoyed tennis, and his horses and farm in Vinita, Oklahoma.

Dr. Neer is survived by his wife Eileen and son Charles Henry of Vinita, daughter Sydney Neer-Rowland and husband Peter of Haddam, CT; daughter Charlotte Neer-Annis, husband Glenn, and granddaughters Katherine (Katy) and Elizabeth (Libby) of Dummerston, VT; mother-in-law Patricia M. Meyer of Tulsa, OK, cousins, friends & colleagues around the world. In addition to his parents mentioned above he was preceded in death by his sister Betsey B. Neer and sister-in-law Kathleen P. Meyer.

Memorial gifts may be to Boy Scout Troop 66, 237 South Wilson, Vinita, OK 74301 or First United Methodist Church, West Canadian Avenue, Vinita, OK 74301. Professional memorials are to be directed to Dr. Louis U. Bigliani, Chairman, Orthopaedic Surgery, Presbyterian Hospital 622 West 168th Street, New York, NY 10032.

The family will receive friends from 3 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 2, 2011 at the family farm 24254 S 4390 Rd, Vinita, OK.

The funeral service will be held Thursday, March 3, 2011 at 1:00 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church in Vinita, with Rev. George Gilland officiating. Interment and Military Honors will follow at the Fairview Cemetery in Vinita. Arrangements are by the Luginbuel Funeral Home of Vinita.

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