Dr. Minnie Vance

Dr. Minnie Vance died on Friday, October 7 at the age of 94. She practiced pediatrics in Chattanooga for 60 years, retiring reluctantly at 88. Minnie was greatly loved by her family, friends, and her many patients.

She was born in 1922, in the “Great State of Texas.” Her father, a Methodist minister, and her mother were civil rights advocates who preached the social gospel. Minnie felt the mandate to follow the example of Christ and became a doctor to serve those in greatest need.

She graduated from the University of Texas and the University of Tennessee Medial School and opened her practice on McCallie Avenue in 1952. She treated everyone she served, young and old, black and white, rich and poor, male and female, with the same dignity and respect. She and her medical partner, Dr. Eleanor Stafford, never turned anyone away, regardless of their ability to pay.

Dr. Vance was on the staff of T.C. Thompson/Erlanger Medical Center and served as Chief of Staff in the Department of Pediatrics. She has been recognized for her service by many institutions, including Dodson Public Health Clinic, Head Start, and Erlanger, where she received the Distinguished Physician Award in 2011 and in the dedication of the Vance Stafford General Pediatric Center. In 2007, she was a recipient of Girls Inc. Unbought and Unbossed award, and in 2008 she was named Senior Pediatrician of the Year by the Tennessee chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

When Minnie wasn’t practicing medicine, she was outside tending her gardens or taking her four children (and half the neighborhood kids) swimming in the Tellico River, skiing in the Rockies, hiking in the Smokies, or camping across Europe. She rarely missed a performance of the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera, and in her later years she spent all free time with her grandchildren. She left a legacy of joy and love for life to all who knew her.

She is preceded in death by her husband, Daniel Brevard Vance III, her medical partner and friend, Dr. Eleanor Stafford, and six brothers and sisters. She is survived by her sister Trudy Ray, four children: Dr. Daniel Brevard Vance IV (Dr Janet Snoddy), Dr. Stephen Ratliff Vance (Donna), Christoper Stafford Vance (Karin Offield), Anne Vance Bright (George), and six grandchildren: Elizabeth Vance Randolph (JW), Katherine Anne Vance (Brandon Cline), Leah Vance Utset (TJ), Christopher Stafford Vance II, Marshall Ratliff Bright, and Eleanor Stafford Bright (Kyle Kurita), two great grandchildren, Emma and Isla Randolph, and many loving nieces and nephews in Texas and beyond.

The family would like to thank her many wonderful caregivers from Preferred Care in Chattanooga and Helping Hands in Cleveland.

A celebration of Minnie’s life will be held at the Reflection Riding Arboretum and Nature Center on Sunday, October 9 at 4PM followed by dinner on the ground. All her friends and patient are welcome.

The family requests in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Vance Stafford General Pediatric Center. Checks made to Erlanger Foundation, 975 E. Third Street, Suite B-508, Chattanooga, TN 37403, or Hospice of Chattanooga, 4411 Oakwood Drive, Chattanooga, TN 37416.

You are encouraged to share a memory of Minnie and/or your personal condolences with her family by visiting her memorial web page and guestbook at www.companionfunerals.com. Companion Funeral Home and the Cody family are honored to assist her family with these arrangements.