John Lindsey Kirkland, III

John Lindsey Kirkland, III, of Fearrington Village, Pittsboro, NC passed away peacefully on July 5, 2025 after his long illness with Alzheimer’s Disease. He was 83 years old.

John was born at Duke Hospital in Durham, NC. He graduated from Durham High School in 1960 and went to the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He majored in mathematics and completed his degree one year early. His senior year at Carolina he participated in an undergraduate fellowship under the mentorship of Professor Kenneth Brinkhous who was renowned for his work in hemophilia. John became skilled in drawing blood from and working with a special breed of hemophiliac pigs. This experience persuaded him to enroll in medical school when he graduated in 1964.

John graduated from the University of North Carolina School Medicine in 1968. He moved to Houston, Texas where he began his training in Pediatrics. After completing his residency he spent 6 months at the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children and Guy’s Hospital in London. After he returned to Houston he began a fellowship in Pediatric Endocrinology under Professor George W. Clayton, who had trained with Dr. Lawson Wilkins at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Dr. Wilkins is called the father of Pediatric Endocrinology.

Instead of being drafted in the armed forces after college, John was enrolled in the Berry Plan which meant that he could finish his training before entering the service. He was stationed at the Philadelphia Naval Base and therefore was able to participate once a week in medical rounds at Temple University Hospital with another great Pediatric Endocrinologist, Dr. Angelo DiGeorge. Towards the end of his tenure in the navy, he spent several months at Yokosuka, Japan where two aircraft carriers were at the ready to help evacuate troops as Viet Nam was falling.

After his discharge from the Navy, John decided to return to Houston where he began a Fellowship in Molecular Endocrinology with Dr George Stancel in the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Texas. This was a very productive time for him. He joined Pediatric Endocrinology in the Department of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine. John became a full Professor of Pediatrics with his work of teaching, research, and service. John’s career focused on endocrine disorders of children including thyroid, pituitary, adrenal, and gonadal problems as well as bone and metabolic disorders including diabetes. As a Professor he was an excellent teacher of medical students, interns, residents, and fellows.

John and Rebecca Grey Trent of Durham married in 1965.

John loved his large dogs. First, a German Shepherd who was a wedding gift from Dr. Cal Callaway at Duke Medical Center. Subsequently, John had two Dobermans that he would hitch up to his bicycle every morning for a run. The dogs would be on each side and pull him to the park. He would sit up on the bike seat with arms folded and traffic would stop to watch the spectacle.

Throughout his medical career his hobby was flying airplanes. He had single, multiengine, and commercial ratings. He flew out of Hobby Airport when in Houston. He loved classical music and would “conduct” while listening, with a baton given to him by a friend.

John loved playing tennis and when he was in Hood River, OR, he was always windsurfing on the Columbia River. After retiring, John and Rebecca spent 6 months a year at their home in Hood River, OR. After nearly 45 years in Houston they retired to NC.

Kirkland family history includes this fact: According to The Durham Morning Herald, 1976, John’s grandfather, John Lindsey Kirkland, was appointed in 1890, with two other men, as the first postmen in Durham, NC, at the inauguration of postal carrier service for the area.

John is predeceased by his parents, Margaret Battle Kirkland and John Lindsey Kirkland, Jr, and his sister, Sara Kirkland Purcell.

He is survived by his wife, Rebecca, and his niece, Katharine Purcell, and nephews, Jimmy with his son Jimmy, and Michael Purcell (Trish Hutchison), with daughters, Anne Claire and Maehler, of Mt. Pleasant, SC. as well as his brother-in-law, James Purcell.