Charles Fitts Obituary

Happy Birthday, My Love...

Cookie

My Tommy, why did you have to leave me... You were suppose to stay in this world forever...You were suppose to love me forever...This world has no meaning without you...I cannot look into your eyes or touch your hand...Hold me forever...My life will never be the same...Till we meet again, My Tommy, Love, Cookie

I will never stop grieving for you until I see your face and am back in your arms again...Love, Cookie

Dr. Charles Thomas Fitts was my grandfather. Although I did not get to see him as much as I liked, I completely understand what an amazing person he was by the effect his passing has had on the world. There is one memory I would like to share. As me and my family were leaving after visiting during the end of summer, Poppop came to the car. He gave each one of us (my brother and two sisters) a fallen leaf. He told us they were the first leaves of fall.

The last time I saw him at his house was for a fourth of july party. It was almost completely dark, and he was sitting in a chair right by the river with his family surrounding him. Just as one big firework went off, he threw his arms in the air and yelled "yeaaah" in that thick throaty voice he had. Later, popop and my father, Matt, were talking together. The way he looked at my dad was with a palpable tenderness and love. I'm so sorry for your loss dad. But I'm so grateful that he was your father.

Thankyou for whoever has kept this guest book online.

Casey, Matt, Layne and family, Our thoughts and prayers are with you all at this time. God's peace to you from our family.

Marie,
I had the honor and privledge of knowing Tommy during my wife's illness five years ago. Never in my life have I seen such dedication. Dr Fitts spent 65 days in the SICU unit with her without a day off. His gruff exterior hid a heart of gold. I cannot tell you how many nights he was there for her. I am a lucky person for knowing him and learned many life's lessons talking with him during the wee hours of the morning. I will truly miss him, he was one of a kind.

Uncle Tom, a great fellow and wonderful soul. Thank you for the stories, laughs, advice, friendship and positive outlook. I will miss you. God Bless Marie, the girls and family.

Amy, Randy, and Casey:
I had the honor of working with Dr. Fitts at Roper. He was a wonderful peraon and physician. My thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time.

DIana Strawn Thornley

Marie,
Sorry to hear of the loss of your loved one. You have our deepest sympathy. May you be blessed with family and friends who care and memories that comfort. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

Layne, David, Amy & Randy ~My thoughts are with you. Dr. Fitts was such a colorful character! I last saw him on a Christmas Evening at the Roper ER - I had a friend w/ allergic reaction that I had given benadryl & he was transported. Dr. Fitts, true to form, had on his Cowboy Boots on Christmas Night & immediately walked over to me when he saw the head of my Jack Russell Terrier peeking out from under my jacket. He HAD to speak to Roxanne, who has done Therapy Work. He was truely a healer and cared deeply for all of God's creatures. He has left the Low Country a better community for all his work.

May God bless you and your family in this time of sorrow.

Dr. "Tommy" Fitts came to our medical school to pioneer kidney transplantation in South Carolina which he did with great distinction. As a surgeon he was outstanding and as a teacher of medical students and residents inspirational. Our College of Medicine has lost a distinguished and important person in our 184 year history.
Jerry Reves, MD
Dean College of Medicine MUSC

Dear Casey and family,
I have known you and your Dad for many years. He was a wonderful surgeon, and a beautiful person. he was always a pleasure to work with. I am so sorry for your loss. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers.
In sympathy,
Denise Bone, RN

I was very saddened to learn of Tom's death. I worked with him at the DDS until my retirement this year as the computer guy whose machines he so dearly loved to hate. He was an incredibly funny man and talented physician. I will miss him.

Amy , Layne, Matt, Casey, and Ann,
I'm so very sorry about Tom, and it is difficult for me to find the words to express how much you all mean to me, because of your support to me and my family when my dad died (1977), I will never forget the kindness of Dr. Fitts, aka "Mr. Fatty Mean Guy/Mr. Skinny Nice Guy"- and the love of all of you to my family...I hope Bill and Tom are shooting pool with Al Demasi, and whoever else they were buddies with when Amy, Layne, and I were acting like horses and jumping over beach chairs in the back yard. God bless you.

What a joy it was to have known and worked with a "true Physician." We are all better for having known him. My deepest sympathy to all of you. Ruth Padgett RN

Marie,
We are so sad to hear about Tom. Everyone loved him and his "colorful character" and he will be truely missed. The LA Fat boys will never be the same. Keep in touch and we love you.

Casey,
Allen and I were deeply saddened by your loss. He was a wonderful person and extremely brilliant. You and your family are in our thoughts and prayers.

Peggy Frizelle Curry
Allen T. Curry

Casey, Aunt Anne, Matt, Layne, and Amy,My heart goes out to you at this time and in the days ahead.
I will always remember "Doc", the times playing pinnacle in your home .

Dear Marie,
I'm so saddened by your loss. I'm in your Master Gardener's class and hope you can continue the classes. My prayers are with you and your family.

I have very fond memories of Dr Tom as we all referred to Dr Fitts at the Disability Determination Div. offices here in Charleston. Though I am now retired Dr Tom always wore a smile and would always take time to explain a claimant's medical condition no matter if it was a complicated or an easy case situation. I will miss Dr Tom's smile, his patience, and his dedication to medicine.

Scott and I are so sorry for your loss. We cannot imagine the grief that you all are feeling at this time. Please know that we are here for all of ya'll in this time of sorrow. Again, we will keep ya'll in our thoughts and prayers. Love, Scott and Jennifer

I met Dr. Fitts when he was admitted in Roper a couple of months ago, And I took care of him on nights each time he was admitted after that. He made such an impact on my life I will never forget him or the encouraging words of comfort he always offered. My prayers go out to all of his "little girls"(as he always refered to them as), Dr. Casey Fitts and His wife. You all will be in my prayers as you go through this heartbreaking time.

My husband and I are deeply saddened to hear about Dr Fitts.
I had the pleasure of working with Dr Fitts and the Transplant Service in the early 90's. We had the best team. We were like family with Daddy Fitts at the head. I will never forget all his stories, especially about the "1st" kidney transplant... He called the patient in for the transplant and the family said they couldn't come today, but they could probably come next week. He promptly replied, "The kidney will SPOIL by then." He always had a great rapport with the patients. I learned so much from him and owe him a great debt of gratitude for helping me start my career in transplant. He will always be remembered as The Father of Transplant for The State of South Carolina. Thank You Dr Fitts!!
Lynn and Walt Uber

Dr. Fitts performed my gall bladder surgery with broken glasses that made me laugh. After the surgery he was taken ill...probably by a virus I gave him, even so he did not charge me for my surgery. My sympathy and love to all of his family. He was a talented surgeon and a wonderful man. He will be missed.

To a family that is one of the most
admired Sonny and I thank you
for all of the joy and blessings that
we have received from each of you.
The memories of Tom will be
a part of our lives always and we
look forward to sharing the future
with you ,Marie,
and the girls. Know how much we
love you and treasure our times
together. Sonny and Sandra

This is the passing of an era. Tommy's legacy is worthy of emulation by us all. As Robert Byrne said, "The purpose of life is a life of purpose". Thank you Tommy for giving us such a high standard to strive for as we contemplate our own destinies.

Dr. Tom was like a 2nd father to me and my dad's best friend. My heart aches and I will miss him and think of him always. Mrs. Marie, Jenna, Summer, Katie, and the rest of the Fitts family, all of yall are in my prayers and I love yall very much. I have fond memories of Dr. Tom and my dad sitting on the back porch, swapping stories, and drinking brown liquor together. I love you Dr. Tom!

Please accept my condolences on the loss of Dr. Fitts. Dr. Fitts removed a tumor from my thyroid many years ago. Before the surgery he was compassionate and gave advice to me as if I were one of his own children. After surgery he continued to care for me and would only allow me to pay for a fraction of my treatment because he knew I probably didn't have the means to at the time. To this day, doctors compliment his surgical skills when they see my tiny scar. I will never forget Dr. Fitts and the kindness he showed me. I couldn't have asked for a better surgeon.

I was six weeks pregnant when I had to have a biopsy. Since I was pregnant and could not be anesthetized, Dr. Fitts joyfully sang country-western songs to me the whole surgery! I will never forget you, Dr. Fitts! You lived your life well and your patients were extremely lucky to have had you as their surgeon.

Georgia and family, I am sorry for your loss.

I got to know Dr Fitts when I was the CEO at one of the hospitals where he practiced medicine. I enjoyed my time with him as he kept me and physicans captivated in the Dr's lounge with his stories and his knowledge, of all things, snakes. Most impressive was his passion for excellence in medicine and his patient advocacy. I came to have a deep respect for him as an excellent physician and a fine man. He will be missed by many especially his family.

What a beautiful tribute to a life well-lived. As a friend of the Sliker and Fitts girls, it has been a true pleasure to get to know Tom over recent years and I have greatly enjoyed his charming and generous personality and his enthusiasm for all things related to science. Tom will be missed by so many. My thoughts and prayers are with your extended family and all those loved by Tom. May you find comfort and peace in your memories of this wonderful man.
Much love,

My thoughts and prayers are with all the family.
I worked with Dr Fitts in the early 70's and thought the world of him.

You are all in my thoughts and prayers! I can say im very happy i had the chance to meet doctor Fitts. I know this he enjoyed a very great and wonderful family.

My thoughts and prayers are with your family during this sad time. Mr Fitts and Casey were my surgeons back in 1993 for partial thyroid removal and he made me feel so at ease being only 18 and scared to death. I have always treasured that surgeory and hope that if I ever have another it will be that great of an experience. He is an extrorinary man. He will be missed.

Dear Marie and Family -

All of us here at Kal's office are shocked and grieved to hear of Tom's passing. Please know we are so very sorry. Tom's passing will be a loss to all who knew him. Kal Kallio, Crystal Lowery, Kevin Lowery, Mary Smith, and Rita Conley.

I met Dr. Fitts in 1988 when I was an admin asst in the Trasplant Program at MUSC. He was definitely a well respected physician and a loving family man. He was also known to invent his own vocabulary by combining some colorful words! It was a joy to know him. I send my deepest sympathy to all of Dr. Fitt's family and friends. May he rest in peace and may you find great comfort in his love and memories.

What an amazing father and mentor! He will surely be missed by all! I love you girls! Jennifer Nance Smith

Dr. Tom was an amazing man who will certainly leave a lasting legacy on our city, our hospital, and everyone who had the pleasure of meeting him. He will be sorely missed but never forgotten.

Dear Casey and Family,

Our heartfelt sympathy for you and your family. We will have your father and family in our prayers.

Cheryl Hair, Reggie Thomas, and
Charlotte 'Carly' Tisdale

Dear Casey and Family,
You all have my deepest sympathy, I am thinking about you all.

Tommie Capers

Dr. Tom Fitts was a legend! His mark on this world is great. He was a leader and pioneer in the organ transplant world. His talent and dedication as a doctor was beyond any I have ever seen over my 30 years in the transplant world. His love and caring of people and patients was obvious to anyone that he encountered. He told me more than once that he could find out more about the “ails” of a patient by just talking to them rather than running high tech tests. I watched him do this for many years. All of his patients adored him and counted on him to keep them safe and well.

He was a mentor to many and a teacher to all. He never was too busy to take the time to teach and encourage. My association with him started over 30 years ago. I was a new coordinator and organ preservationist in the transplant program. I would go by his office, grab a cup of coffee from the machine that was right outside his office door. After a couple of days, he wanted to know who that “fat pharmacy student was” that kept coming by and stealing his coffee!!! He was told that I was not a pharmacy student, but rather his new employee that he needed to get to know!
Dr. Fitts and I spent countless hours preserving and transplanting kidneys. Because of this, I had the privilege of learning so much from him, professional lessons as well as “life” lessons. He told me stories of his childhood…about growing up in Jackson, Tennessee. About his dad, Papa Fitts, starting the Fitts-White Medical Clinic. He once gave me some business advice that his Papa gave to him, “make sure you always buy the soap”. You see Papa initially did everything at the clinic, including the purchasing of supplies. When he hired someone to help him “buy the soap”, it turned out that this new “hospital administrator” ended up running the clinic and being Papa’s boss!!

I believe medicine would be improved dramatically if there was a mandatory course called “Dr. Fitts 101” in medical schools. Every medical student would benefit greatly by being exposed to the knowledge and core values that he carried through life. But then, there was only one Dr. Fitts, so without him as the professor, the class could never be the same! He was gifted in so many ways. I am so fortunate to have crossed paths with him many years ago. I can honestly say that I would not be where I am today if Dr. Fitts had not believed in me, encouraged me, and afforded me opportunities beyond anything this country girl could imagine! More than my boss, he was truly my mentor but moreover, my friend.

My sympathies to Marie and all of the family. A great void has been left in your lives. Be comforted in the wonderful memories that you have of the life and love shared.

Daddy Fitts, may you rest well in peace, my dear friend. I know I will see you again beside the Great Healer in Heaven! We will share a “peppermint” when I get there! Until then, I will keep on “buying the soap”.

Nancy A. Kay, President and CEO
LifePoint, Inc. (formerly the South Carolina Organ Procurement Organization)

I enjoyed working with Dr. Fitts. Trust in the Lord and lean not to your own understanding... (Proverbs 3:5-6). Take comfort in knowing that his work down here was done and he went home to be with the Father.

My thoughts and prayers are with you in your time of grief. May your memories bring you comfort.

What a beautiful tribute to one who spent his life serving others!

I am a member of the Hampton County Fitts family. I regret that I did not know your beloved relative personally.

I pray that rich memories and the PEACE of God will sustain you in the days ahead.