Buford Avril Wells

Buford A. Wells, M.D., 88, of Pearland Texas, died on Friday, August 25, 2017 at Pearland Medical Center. Buford was born on March 24, 1929 in Waco, Texas to Buford and Virginia (Welch) Wells. Three weeks before his birth his father passed away. He was raised in Port Arthur, Texas by his mother. He graduated from Jefferson High School in 1947. Buford attended Baylor University in Waco, Texas graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry in 1951. He was accepted at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston where he graduated as a Doctor of Medicine in 1955. During his General Internship at Detroit Receiving Hospital in Michigan, Buford married his wife of 62 years, Julia Fay Stark on October 3, 1955 in Houston, Texas. After completing his Internship, while waiting to begin his “Doctor Call” tour of military service, he served as a Resident in Psychiatry at the Texas State Hospital for six months. He helped discharge the first patients in the history of the facility when the first anti-psychotic medication was released. He served as a lieutenant in the United States Navy from 1956 to 1958, in Vallejo and San Diego, California. He and Julia welcomed their first child Shannon in 1957 at the Mare Island Naval Base Hospital. In 1959 Buford partnered with a former UTMB classmate in General Practice in Ft. Worth, where second child Paul was born. In 1961 Buford served as Hospital Generalist at Stephenville Hospital, where their third child Scott was born.

After meeting Dr. Denton Cooley in Stephenville, there fundraising to create the Texas Heart Institute in 1961, he changed his career path from General Practice to Anesthesiology and moved his growing family to Houston where fourth child Dan was born in 1963 at The Methodist Hospital where he was on staff. After completing his training in Anesthesia at Baylor College of Medicine from 1961 to 1963, Buford joined the Anesthesiology Faculty at Baylor alongside his mentor Dr. Arthur Keats, where he provided anesthesia for many groundbreaking cases with Dr. Denton Cooley, Dr. Michael DeBakey and Dr. Stanley Crawford among others during one most innovative periods in adult and pediatric cardiovascular surgery and anesthesia. From 1963 to 1967 he was involved in the development of modern intraoperative cardiac monitoring, creation of the critical care unit and the first use of mechanical ventilation for post-operative heart cases.

In 1967 he joined Pasadena Anesthesiology Group at the new Pasadena Bayshore Hospital where he practiced Anesthesia and Critical Care Medicine and served as Director of the Intensive Care Unit and Respiratory Therapy Department until his retirement in 1997. He established the first Intensive Care Unit in the Houston area outside the Texas Medical Center. Due to his proximity to industry in Pasadena, Buford treated many Phosgene-related respiratory failure cases. He published the largest case review to date in 1985 which detailed his successful management of five phosgene exposure respiratory failure cases. He was elected Fellow of the American College of Chest Physicians (FACP).

Buford enjoyed playing golf, sailing, fly-fishing, diving, and classical music. He loved the practice of medicine his entire life, fulfilling his childhood dream to become a doctor. But more than anything else he loved being with his family. He gave of his time generously and had a positive impact on all who knew him.

Buford is survived by his wife Julia (Stark) Wells, his children Shannon Wells Gordon (husband Bob), Paul Howard Wells (wife Victoria), David Scott Wells (wife Tracy), and Dan Arthur Wells (wife Kristi); his grandchildren Ali and David Wells; David (wife Ursula), Steven Luciani and Dean (wife Lexi) Luciani; Kenneth, Tashina, Christopher and Claire Wells; his great-grandchildren Summer, Autumn and August Luciani; Charley and Chandler Luciani; his step-grandchildren David (wife Kristina), Christopher (wife Lauren) and Nicholas Cottrell; and his twin step-great granddaughters Penelope and Piper Cottrell.

Memorial gifts may be sent to Red Cross of Texas Disaster Relief, to the Houston Symphony or to a charity of your choice.

Celebration of life service date to be announced.

Arrangements under the direction of NEPTUNE SOCIETY - Houston, Houston, TX.