Roll Call Tribute

Wynne McCallie Snoots

December 3, 1933 - March 31, 2022

Wynne McCallie Snoots, M.D. passed away peacefully in his home in Dallas on March 31, 2022. He was born on December 3, 1933 in Atlanta, Georgia and moved to Dallas, Texas when he was a few weeks old. Wynne was raised by members of the Greatest Generation as his 8th birthday party was held on Pearl Harbor Day and the following day his 39-Year-old father, Samuel Wynne Snoots applied for and was accepted to Officers Basic Military School and upon graduation was stationed in the Pacific until he returned home after the war was over. Wynne's mother Elizabeth McCallie Snoots moved Wynne and his sister Edie back to Atlanta to be near her family during the war but returned to Dallas when her husband returned home. His parents purchased a home in the Park Cities which is still in the family today and has provided a special place for five generations of his family to create and share special memories.

Wynne graduated from Highland Park High School in 1951 and attended Texas A&M University where he was on the swimming and water polo teams and in the Corps of Cadets. He graduated in 1956 with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and a B.A. in English and had orders to go into the Army; however, he was in a car accident just prior to graduation resulting in a broken arm that was surgically repaired using rods and pins and was deferred from joining the Army. Wynne moved back to Dallas and went to work for IBM in their new Data Processing Division, which prompted his interest in the manipulation of data with computers and was transferred to New Orleans where he met and started dating a coworker named Anne Richardson. Wynne had surgery to remove the rods and pins in his arm and entered the Army Reserves as a 2nd Lieutenant in mid-1957 and was initially stationed in Fort Sill, Oklahoma where he underwent Officer Candidate School. Once OCS was completed, Wynne and Anne were married in New Orleans on December 7, 1957, then transferred to Fort Devens, Massachusetts where he served over a mortar battery unit for almost two years. Wynne received an early discharge from the Army to attend medical school as he was fascinated with how the orthopedic surgeon had surgically repaired his arm. Wynne continued to serve in the Army Reserves until 1968. Wynne, Anne and their daughter Betsy moved back to Dallas in late 1959 where Wynne entered Southern Methodist University to receive premedical school credits for a year. He then attended University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas and graduated at the top of his class as a member of Alpha Omega Alpha honor society and received his M.D. in 1964. He served his internship at Parkland Hospital then served four years of Combined Orthopedic Residency at Baylor University Medical Center, Parkland Memorial Hospital and Texas Scottish Rite Hospital all in Dallas, TX. Dr. Snoots joined the W.B. Carrell Memorial Clinic in Dallas, TX in 1969 where he practiced as a general orthopedist. Dr. Snoots left the large specialty orthopedic clinic in 1992 to become a solo practitioner where he filled a niche of evaluating and caring for patients with unusual musculoskeletal conditions that had problems that did not fit well into the new specialty orthopedic environment until he retired in 2015.

Dr. Snoots held numerous elected offices and honors including President, Medical Staff of Parkland Memorial Hospital in 1978, President, Medical Staff of Baylor University Medical Center in 1988, and President, Texas Orthopedic Association in 1988 among others. He was also Orthopedic Representative, Medicare Carrier advisory Committee from 1999-2008, Physician Reviewer, Texas Medical Foundation Past Member Regional Texas Medical Foundation, Board Member, United HealthCare National Scientific Advisory Board from 2004 to 2006. Governor Rick Perry appointed him to the Texas Medical Board in 2009 which he served on until 2015. Dr. Snoots also served on numerous medical committees and staff appointments at Baylor University Medical Center and had academic appointments at Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine and University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

Wynne's first wife Anne passed away from pancreatic cancer in 1985 and three years later he was set up on a date with Patricia Norvell Mitchell. Pat was a Vice President for Neiman Marcus at the time and traveled extensively for her work which tied in well with Wynne's interest in traveling and curiosity of all things in general. Wynne and Pat were married June 24, 1989 and were wonderful partners in life until his death. They built a unique home in Highland Park on a lot that had never been developed due to its shape, location and other challenges. Wynne delighted in spending time with Pat as they shared several passions such as landscaping and water scaping their beautiful backyard as well as traveling and experiencing the local Knox Street cafes. He and Pat also loved their dogs and cats and treated them like their children.

Wynne's current house was designed by an architect from New York named Bill Bedford that was one of Wynne's best friends since their days swimming together at Texas A&M. Bill also designed Wynne's previous house in Dallas and the house on the family farm. Wynne was an avid reader, had a near photographic memory and an inquisitive mind which led him to learn new things throughout his life. Wynne's hobbies included working on projects around the house and the photography of animals, people and places on land and in the water. He was also intrigued with photography of planets and the moon through a telescope. Wynne's primary hobby for the past twenty years was working to improve the family farm "Dunbrokus" near Carlton, TX to aid his cattle operation by doing things such as clearing cedar to improve grazing potential, optimizing water distribution to increase the number of pastures to rotate cattle, planting different native grass species, etc. He was most recently experimenting breeding his cows with Wagyu bulls to see if he could improve the profitability of his cattle operation.

Wynne is preceded in death by his parents, Samuel Wynne Snoots and Elizabeth McCallie Snoots, his first wife and mother of his children, Anne Richardson Snoots as well as his sister, Edie and her husband Bruce Daugherty and his great grandson John Luke Murray. He is survived by his loving wife of 32 years, Patricia Norvell Snoots as well as his daughter Elizabeth Anne (Betsy) Lawson and her husband Dan, his son Wynne McCallie Snoots, Jr. and his wife Aimee; six grandchildren, Lauren Murray and her husband Alan; Lucy Walker and her husband Dillon; William Lawson and his wife Lily, Anna Lien and her husband Matt, Samuel Wynne Snoots and Sarah Anne Snoots; and four great grandsons, Benjamin Murray, Lawson Murray, Wynne Walker and Billy Lawson as well as several nieces and nephews and their families.

A memorial service is to be held at 11am on Friday, April 22nd at Church of the Incarnation, 3966 McKinney Ave in Dallas. In lieu of flowers, Wynne asked you to consider a donation be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, c/o Solid Tumor Treatment Program. Their address is: 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.