I. Carlton Brinsfield, 93
CUMBERLAND - I. Carlton Brinsfield, MD, 93, died on Feb 15, 2008, at Golden Living Center.
Although a well-known resident of Cumberland since 1954, Dr. Brinsfield was born to William Brinsfield and Myrtle Bennett Brinsfield on Jan. 14, 1915 in Vienna, Dorchester Country.
Dr. Brinsfield was also preceded in death by his sister, Cleona Reed, who taught English at Allegany High School in Cumberland.
A graduate of Vienna High School, Class of 1931, Dr. Brinsfield worked his way through school at Western Maryland College, graduating in 1935, and the University of Maryland Medical School, graduating in 1940. After completing his internship at Maryland General Hospital in 1942, he served in the United States Army during World War II from February 1942 to February 1946. During this service, Dr. Brinsfield spent 22 months overseas, stationed at the hospital on Ascension Island in the south Atlantic, on the hospital ship Shamrock, and for a short time in Italy.
After election to the American College of Surgeons in 1948, he started a private practice in Cambridge in 1948. He interrupted his new career to serve his country again during the Korean Conflict from 1949 to 1951 in the United States Air Force. In that role, he was chief of surgery at Shepherd Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas. He eventually retired from the Air Force Reserves as a Lt. Colonel.
In 1951, he opened a private practice in Baltimore, but fell in love with the Maryland mountains and the friendly town of Cumberland. He joined the practice of Dr. Wallie Faw in January 1954 in Cumberland, where after a few years he opened his own practice. He retired from his general surgery practice in 1984.
He cared for many of the employees of Pittsburgh Plate Glass, as their on-call physician. During the early 1970s, he occasionally substituted for Dr. Overton Himmelwright on the bench of the Fort Hill football team as well as volunteered as team physician for the Fort Hill freshman and JV teams and the Cumberland Area Youth Football League. In the 1980, he was an active volunteer with the 4H.
From the time he moved to Cumberland he was an active member of Center Street Methodist Church for 50 years. During the late 60s and early 70s, he volunteered with Boy Scout Troop 4, which was sponsored by the church. During his retirement years, his farming roots surfaced again. You could rarely find him anywhere but on his John Deere tractor.
Dr. Brinsfield is survived by his wife of 64 years, June Hopkins Brinsfield. He is also survived by his daughter, Leigh Wigton and her husband, Charles of Worthington, Ohio; his sons, Eric Brinsfield and his wife, Cathy of Raleigh, N.C., Brian Brinsfield and his wife, Charlotte of Rawlings and his daughter, Joyce Brinsfield of Versailles, Ky.; his grandsons, Matthew Wigton and Travis Rogers; and his granddaughters, Grace Wigton, Erica Brinsfield, Rachael Wigton, and Angela Wigton.
Friends were received at the Adams Family Funeral Home, P.A., 404 Decatur St., Cumberland, (
www.AdamsFamilyFuneralHome.com) on Feb. 18,and at the Church on Feb. 19.
A funeral service was conducted at the Centre Street United Methodist Church on Feb. 19, with the Rev. Lloyd McCanna officiating.
Pallbearers were his sons, Eric Brinsfield and Brian Brinsfield; his brothers-in-law, Mark Hopkins, Dr. Thomas Hopkins, Robert Carson, Esq. and his son-in-law, Charles Wigton, Esq. Honorary pallbearers were Dr. William Iames, Howard Ware, Dr. Robert K. Poling, Dr. Vincent Vales, Edward Mattingly Sr., Dr. Walter Himmler, Dr. Terry Williams, Dr. Andrew Stasko Sr., Dr. Dan Jackson, Dr. Robin Fedis, Larry Reed, Esq., Richard Hevner, Dr. Reid Failing, Dr. Michael McCagh, Dr. Royce Hodges III, Dr. Sam Harshberger II, Dr. William Lamm, and Dr. Paul Snow.
Military honors were accorded at the cemetery by the Post 13 Veterans' Honor Guard.
Burial followed at the Maryland Veterans' Cemetery at Rocky Gap.
The family requests that memorials be made to the Centre Street United Methodist Church, 217 North Centre St., Cumberland, MD 21502.
