Dr. Robert W. Jarrett, Sr.

A memorial visitation will be held at Robert Barham Family Funeral Home on Thursday, September 13, 2018 from 4:00 until 6:00 p.m for Dr. Robert W. Jarrett, Sr.

Dr. Robert W. Jarrett, Sr., of Meridian, died at home on Saturday, September 8. He was 77.

Bobby came to Meridian in 1976 to join Dr. Charles L. Wilkinson in practice at Medical Pathology Laboratory (MPL). Bobby and Dr. Wilkinson, who had trained together in Memphis, were partners in practice for twenty years, during which time MPL grew to serve many hospitals in Mississippi and Alabama, employing more than 80 people.

During his illness, Bobby spent some time as a patient in hospitals he had once served. There, his spirits were often lifted by visits from former colleagues who remembered him fondly.

Born in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, in 1940, Bobby was raised in Murfreesboro and on a farm in nearby Lascassas. He had a classic American childhood; he became an Eagle Scout at age 13. Early on Bobby was afflicted with a love for Vanderbilt University athletics, a love he carried throughout his life. His devotion to the Commodores required remarkable faithfulness and optimism: their record in SEC football was 117-388-13 over his lifetime. In a way, his loyalty to Vanderbilt was rewarded in the end. Doctors at Vanderbilt significantly prolonged his life with experimental chemotherapy.

Bobby earned his undergraduate degree in chemistry from Vanderbilt, and his medical degree from the University of Tennessee in Memphis. During his residency training at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis, he met and married the former Patricia Ann Dunn of Mobile, Alabama, who survives him. They were closest companions for 50 years.

Before beginning private practice in Meridian, Bobby served his country as an officer in the United States Air Force Medical Corps at Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina.

Bobby loved books, especially histories and biographies, and music. He lived by the best American values: treat everyone equally and respect all honest work. He was a loyal friend, keeping up with many of his grammar school classmates throughout his life. He believed in a few basic rules of old-school Southern style: trousers should have cuffs, but not pleats; cap bills should be rolled, not flat; bow ties should be tied a little off-kilter, so everyone can see it’s not a clip-on.

Besides his wife, Bobby is survived by a son, Rob, of Roanoke, Virginia, his wife Emily, and their children, Wilkes and Margaret; a daughter, Kelly, of Carrboro, North Carolina, her husband Mike DeFranco, and their daughter Ryan. Following in their father’s footsteps, both Rob and Kelly chose careers in health care.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to:

Free Clinic of Meridian, P.O. Box 3724, Meridian, MS 39303, or to the
Meridian Freedom Project, P.O. Box 1889, Meridian MS 39302