Dr. John Vanlandingham gave his life serving Flomaton area and others
Dr. Vanlandingham with his wife, Wanda, at his retirement celebration
"We lost a good man today."
Those were the words of Bo Bolton, former publisher of the Tri-City Ledger, said in response to the Wednesday-morning death of Dr. John Vanlandingham.
Despite the efforts of first responders, Vanlandingham, 79, a long-time resident and practitioner of medicine in Flomaton, was pronounced dead at D.W. McMillan Memorial Hospital.
Once noted as an, "icon of healthcare for the Flomaton community" by Chris Griffin, administrator at D.W. McMillan, Vanlandingham began practicing medicine in Flomaton in 1974. He took the place of Dr. Ralph Rose and continued to stay on as a doctor in the area.
"I wasn't going to leave the people here (Flomaton) without a doctor," Dr. Vanlandingham said in a July 2017, interview.
Vanlandingham continued working in the area for 43 years until his recent retirement at the end of 2017.
In November of this past year, a retirement party was held at Flomaton Community Center, where more than 200 people crowded into the facility to honor the local doctor. Friends, family, employees, past employees, patients and more showed up to celebrate the achievements and longevity of Vanlandingham's service to the area.
As a way to commemorate in the physical world the mark Vanlandingham left on the Flomaton community, Flomaton Town Council voted to rename "Houston Street" to "Dr. Van Avenue" in a November meeting.
Echoing the sentiments of many others throughout the community, Mayor Dewey Bondurant spoke of the loss.
"Flomaton has lost a great man," Bondurant said. "He was very loving, very caring, and loved all of his patients. He loved the town of Flomaton very much. He was a great friend of mine and I don't know what we are going to do without him."
Funeral arrangements were unavailable as of press time.
