Ira Minter Yount

Minter (as he is known by his friends) was born in Cherokee, Oklahoma. His family migrated to Boise, Idaho when he was young, and he always considered Boise his hometown. After graduating from Boise High School in 1953, he enrolled in Boise Junior College (now Boise State University). After two years, he joined the Idaho National Guard and came to Texas for his pilot training. He completed it and earned his wings in class of ’57 Bravo. He stayed in touch with many of his fellow pilots for his entire life. He loved flying and loved buzzing water skiers on area lakes and over various girlfriends’ houses. There are many wild stories about those days. After completing his training, he reentered undergraduate school at the College of Idaho. He had not declared a major and when a professor asked him what he planned to do with his life, he answered that he might be a doctor. The professor, with disdain said, “You will never get into medical school.” Well, Minter showed him. He applied to the University of Oregon Medical School at Portland and was accepted with only three years of undergraduate schooling. He graduated Cum Laude in 1962. He reentered the Air Force and completed his residency in orthopedic surgery, also at University of Oregon. His final military assignment was at Wilford Hall Medical Center in San Antonio where he was Chief of Children’s Orthopedics. In 1979, he retired as a full colonel.

He entered into private practice in San Antonio and soon chose to focus on treating children with special needs. When he closed his office in 2004 there were over 12,000 charts. He continued to work at specialty clinics at Methodist Hospital for a few more years. He really loved his patients. He was their advocate, working to get them into regular educational classes rather than being placed in isolated special needs classes where their minds were not challenged. He bought a Santa Suit and every Christmas Eve he made rounds on the children’s ward and later at the Methodist Children’s Hospital, scaring the stuffing out of some of the kids and bringing joy all around.

In his “spare” time, he was team physician for the John Marshall Rams football team for over 20 years, he served on the original board of Teamability, he was a consultant to the Texas Rehabilitation Commission and he served as Chief of Staff of Methodist Hospital in 1993.

Most significantly, he and fellow colleague Tom O’Brien founded South Texas Physician Outreach, a non-profit organization. Every year, he along with other physicians and multiple support and operating room personnel went to a remote village, Santa Rosa de Copan, in Honduras. On each annual one-week trip, bringing and utilizing their own surgical instruments and supplies, they were able to perform close to 100 surgical procedures often without any available running water and limited sanitary supplies. Procedures such as lens implants, cleft lip and palate repair, club feet releases, burn contracture releases and thyroid surgery that had not been possible before became available to area residents. This mission lasted over 20 years and he and the other participants made lifelong friends among the residents of that town.

Besides flying jets and being a doctor, he enjoyed hunting, golf, traveling, playing honor count gin and arguing with his buddies in the 19th hole.

He was preceded in death by his sisters, Ramona Spickelmire and Rilla Hawkins, his brother Roger Yount and his two beloved Kathryns, daughter Kathryn Elise Yount and granddaughter, Kathryn Eleanor Yount.

He is survived by his wife of almost 60 years, Barbara Barry Yount, his daughter, Diane Hess, his son, Barry Yount and wife, Gretchen, his son, Brian Yount and wife Petra and his grandson, Alex Hess.

He is also survived by many nieces and nephews.

According to his wishes there will be no funeral service. Interment of ashes will be at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in a private ceremony.

All who knew him are invited to a memorial celebration on Saturday, February 24th from 3-6 in the afternoon at Oak Hills Country Club at 5403 Fredericksburg Road.