Dr. Wendell Elliott Gaillard's Obituary
Dr. Wendell Elliott Gaillard, Jr. age 81, passed away peacefully in his sleep, March 7, 2025.
Dr. Gaillard was born in Tuskegee, AL in 1944 to his parents, Lois and Wendell Gaillard, Sr. After attending elementary school, he spent his first two years of high school in Montclair, New Jersey at Immaculate Conception in Montclair, NJ, and his last two years at Voorhees School and Junior College in Denmark, SC. He graduated from Hillsdale College, in Hillsdale, Ml, with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in 1966. Following college, he entered Howard University College of Medicine in Washington, D.C. where he received his Doctor of Medicine degree, graduating with the honors "Most Outstanding in Surgery."
While in medical school he married his wife, Brenda Kay Richardson in 1968, and they moved to Oakland, CA after his graduation. It was there that he interned at Kaiser Foundation Hospital in a Straight Surgical Program. They began their family, and by 1972, he and Kay had their daughter, Kim, and their son, Wendell, III “Chip.” In 1971, the family returned to Washington, D.C. where Wendell completed his Surgical Residency program at Howard University Hospital.
At the encouragement of his grandfather, the family moved to Tuskegee, AL where he opened his practice at John A. Andrews Hospital. During this time, he also worked part-time at the VA Hospital in the Department of Surgery. In 1978, he was hired as the Plant Physician at the Uniroyal Tire & Rubber Plant in Opelika, AL where he served for 18 years.
In 1984, Dr. Gaillard and his family moved to Auburn, AL, and opened his surgical practice and joined the East Alabama Medical Center, which was then the Lee County Hospital. He was chosen as the first Black Chief-of-Staff at EAMC in 1991.
Having a passion for medical mission work, he traveled with his wife and their church (for two weeks a year) beginning in 1989. He and his wife, along with others, served in Maroon Town, Jamaica; Barnet, Kenya; Olderkesi, Kenya; Santa Cruz, Bolivia; and a province outside Kunming, China.
Dr. Gaillard was honored with a legacy award granted by W. Darden Foundation for his significant contributions to Lee County, Alabama and the lives he saved and improved during his medical mission trips. This award celebrated his vision, contributions, and commitment to meeting the needs of the underserved, both in his own community and abroad.
Retiring from surgery in 2001, he later became the Physician and Medical Director at Columbus Regional Wound Center in Columbus GA.
In addition to work, Dr. Gaillard enjoyed golf, fishing, target shooting, oil painting, and cooking; both in the house and on the grill.
Dr. Gaillard is preceded in death by his wife of over 56 years, Kay Gaillard; and his sister, Carole Watt.
He is survived by his children, Kimberli Whitehead (Tony), and Wendell “Chip” Gaillard III (Nicole); and grandchildren, Maya, Finn, Chaz, and Landry.
A memorial service honoring Dr. Gaillard’s life will be held May 18, 2025 from 1:00PM-3:00PM at Saugahatchee Country Club in Opelika, Alabama.
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