Longtime Gainesville pediatrician Everett Roseberry, who was instrumental in the founding of The Longstreet Clinic (TLC), died Sunday, April 11 at the age of 79.
Roseberry came to Gainesville in 1978 after serving as Chief Resident at Emory University's Egleston Hospital. An obituary announcement said Roseberry decided to specialize in pediatrics because it gave him the opportunity to know his patients well and care for them over a long period of time. It's believed he cared for thousands of patients during his 40-year career in Gainesville, often caring for generations in the same family.
In an article published upon his retirement in 2018, Roseberry said patients would often stop to visit when they saw him in town.
"I still have people who stop me out in the community to tell me about their kids," he was quoted as saying. "One person told me recently that I had seen her, her mother and her grandmother, and that Dr. [Buddy] Langston had seen her great grandmother. It’s humbling and tremendously gratifying to be trusted over that long period of time.”
Roseberry was one of the establishing physicians of The Longstreet Clinic. He also served as Chief of Staff for Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NGMC), TLC President, and he was the recipient of NGMC’s 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award.
Dr. Eugene Cindea, Chairman of the Pediatric Department at The Longstreet Clinic, met Roseberry when he arrived in Gainesville in 1990 to practice at another pediatric group. Cindea said they became friends first, and then Roseberry recruited him to become part of the pediatric department under the Longstreet umbrella.
"What sums up for me Everett Roseberry is love," said Cindea. "He had an incredible love for his job, and as a result of that, had an incredible love for the children of Northeast Georgia."
Cindea said Roseberry not only was a physician, but he was a counselor to patients and their families.
Prior to his decision to pursue a career in pediatric medicine, Roseberry considered a career in the ministry. He was described as "a man of deep faith who believed in the power and grace of God."
Cindea said he saw that faith in action.
"Everett believed that he had a gift from God and that gift from God was his ability to be a pediatrician," Cindea said. "He felt so strongly that it wasn't a gift to him - it was a gift to share."
A memorial service to honor Everett Roseberry will be scheduled at a later date.
Little & Davenport Funeral Home is handling arrangements for Everett Roseberry. Follow this link for a complete obituary.
