Hugh Gilmore Obituary

Hugh Richmond Gilmore, III

February 4, 1926 - November 24, 2025

Aventura, Florida - HUGH R. GILMORE III, M.D., passed away on November 24, 2025, in Miami, Florida, at the age of 99, just two months shy of his 100th birthday.

He was born on February 4, 1926, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Col. Hugh R. Gilmore, Jr., M.D., and Edith Doebele. His father was a pathologist in the U.S. Army Medical Corps, and as a result, Hugh spent much of his childhood moving frequently, attending seven different schools, including one in the Panama Canal Zone, before graduating from high school in Emlenton, Pennsylvania, in 1944. While his father served in Italy during WWII, his mother, sister, and he returned to Emlenton to live with his paternal grandparents until the war ended. In high school, Hugh excelled academically and athletically. He gave the commencement salutatory address and lettered in track and field. He qualified for the Navy's highly competitive V-12 Program, an accelerated wartime officer training program, allowing him to graduate from Swarthmore College in just two years, in 1946.

He went on to attend the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, graduating in 1950. While there, he was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha, the prestigious medical honor society whose members were known for wearing bowties-a tradition Hugh embraced and maintained throughout his life. It was also at Penn that he met Elizabeth R. Pellett of Hamburg, New Jersey, in their first-year anatomy class. They married the same weekend they graduated.

Following medical school, Hugh completed a rigorous postgraduate training path: a general internal medicine internship in Los Angeles (1951), an internal medicine residency in Denver (1952), and three fellowships-one in gastroenterology at University of Pennsylvania (1955), one in cardiology at Philadelphia General Hospital (1956) and one in clinical cardiology at the University of Miami, Jackson Memorial Hospital (1957). He was also recognized as an NIH trainee in cardiovascular disease at both Philadelphia General Hospital (1956) and Jackson Memorial Hospital (1957).

In 1955, Hugh moved his young family (at the time with 3 children under 3, with two others born 1956 and 1958) from Philadelphia to Miami after being invited to team with Dr. Asher Marks, another V-12 recipient, to develop the new Cardio-Pulmonary Department at the University of Miami's Jackson Memorial Hospital. He played a pivotal role in educating medical students and residents in cardiology throughout his career.

In 1969, he transitioned from full-time academic medicine to private practice with Drs. Asher Marks and Morton Halpern, forming Halpern, Gilmore, Marks, P.A. He remained a Clinical Professor of Medicine and volunteered with professional organizations. In 1980, he entered the U.S. Public Health Service while maintaining appointments at Jackson Memorial Hospital, Cedars of Lebanon Hospital, and Bascom Palmer Eye Institute. He served on numerous committees and published fifteen peer-reviewed scientific articles during his career.

Hugh always enjoyed the challenges of interesting appointments and unique opportunities, including providing summer coverage for medical staff on Andros Island, Bahamas, working with Eastern Airlines' medical department, which afforded standby travel for his large family--and performing medical utilization reviews for the Social Security Administration and the Veterans Administration, among others. He finally allowed his medical license to expire in January 2011, at age 85.

His Navy service spanned eight years and included active duty during the Korean War as a shipboard officer based in Los Angeles and San Diego. He later served as a physician at the Naval Ordnance Test Station at China Lake in the Mojave Desert. While there, he received a Q clearance, a rare and highly specialized designation associated with the Navy's nuclear research and testing program.

Hugh's life was marked by a deep commitment to health, fitness, and longevity. An avid runner, he spent decades running the paths around Matheson Hammock and competed in numerous marathons, including events in Ohio (1970), Boston (1978), Miami (1978), and New York City (1982). He continued running with his children and grandchildren in the Miami 5K well into his late eighties.

After his first marriage, Hugh became a partner to-and later married-Rhonda Lynne Shultz of Aventura, Florida, in 2017. She was his devoted companion for many years. Together they enjoyed jazz, travel, and cycling trips around the world.

Hugh is survived by his wife, Rhonda, and members of her family: her sister, Deborah Shultz Grossman of Aventura, Florida; her brother, Sanford Shultz (Breann) of Orlando, Florida; and her nephews Joshua Shultz, Benjamin Shultz, and Zachary Shultz.

He is also survived by his five children: Hugh R. Gilmore IV; Jane G. Affonso; Peter B. Gilmore (Victoria Bunten); Mary G. Kirkpatrick; and Margaret Gilmore. He leaves behind eight grandchildren-Brian Affonso, David Affonso, Laura Gilmore, Karen Gilmore, Steven Gilmore (Katie), Kelly B. Pike (Nicholas Pike), Hugh J. Kirkpatrick, and Kathryn A. Kirkpatrick (Zachary Nigro)-and four great-grandchildren: George Pike, Elizabeth "Lys" Pike, Henry Pike, and Maeve Gilmore. Hugh was predeceased by his first wife, Elizabeth Gilmore, in 2011.

A private burial and repast will take place in Emlenton, PA in Spring 2026. Memorial contributions in his name may be made to The American Heart Society.