Dr. Thamer Eugene (Gene) Temple, Jr., 86, beloved husband, father, grandfather, and brother, died on December 25, 2021, in Newport News, Virginia. He is survived by his wife, Cynthia Jones Temple, his son, Thamer Eugene (Chip) Temple, III (fiancée Sherry), his son, Clifford Powell Temple (Connie), his daughter, Meredith Deverell Temple-O’Connor (Christian), and stepdaughters, Cynthia Marshall McLean and Allison Amsler Marshall (Ken Lange). He is also survived by his grandchildren: Clifford Powell Temple, Jr., Thamer Eugene (Chase) Temple, IV, Georgia Gray Temple, Ethan Gabriel O’Connor, and Benjamin Patrick O’Connor as well as his faithful companion of seven years, Bates, his sister, Lyra Temple Roberts, brother, Perry Temple, and their children. He was preceded in death by his wife, Patricia S. Temple.

Dr. Temple was born on January 18, 1935, in Macon, Georgia to Thamer and Mabel Temple. He graduated from Lanier High School, Mercer University, and the Medical College of Georgia. He completed his residency in internal medicine at the Medical College of Georgia. He served in the US Army at Fort Lee in Petersburg, Virginia before completing a fellowship in Endocrinology at Vanderbilt University. Dr. Temple then joined the Internal Medicine faculty at the Medical College of Georgia before moving to Newport News in 1970. In Newport News, he practiced medicine as a board-certified internist and endocrinologist and served as the Director of Medical Education at Riverside Regional Medical Center from 1975-2004. He also served on the Executive Committee of Riverside and was a Clinical Professor at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine. After his retirement, he continued to volunteer his medical services for several years at the Lackey Clinic in Yorktown, VA.

Gene loved medicine and being a doctor. He was passionate about medical education and training new physicians and leaves an incredible legacy of having trained and mentored so many. Gene also enjoyed playing golf, traveling, and being with his family and friends. He was a member and Elder of Hidenwood Presbyterian Church where he taught adult Sunday School. His Christian faith was a large part of who he was. He was also a member of the Rotary Club of Newport News, numerous medical professional societies, and James River Country Club.

The family will receive visitors at Peninsula Funeral Home from 6:00-7:30 pm on Wednesday, December 29. The CDC highly recommends masks for inside gatherings. Following a private burial, a memorial service will be held at Hidenwood Presbyterian Church at 2:30 pm on Thursday, December 30 officiated by The Reverend Katherine T. Gray.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Alzheimer’s Association, 225 N. Michigan Ave, Fl. 17, Chicago, IL 60601 (https://act.alz.org), Hidenwood Presbyterian Church, 414 Hiden Boulevard, Newport News, VA 23606 (https://www.hidenwood.org/giving/), or the Lackey Clinic, 1620 Old Williamsburg Road, Yorktown, VA 23690 (https://lackeyclinic.org).